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  • Briefings and practice guidance

    These briefings and practice guidance are designed to support specialist and community stop smoking practitioners, and other health and social care practitioners involved in smoking cessation.

    Very Brief Advice (VBA+)

    These briefings describe how to deliver Very Brief Advice on Smoking (VBA+) and provide examples how the ASK, ADVISE and ACT model can be tailored to different population groups.

    We also have a comprehensive suite of short VBA+ training modules on our e-learning site.

    Behavioural support for smoking cessation

    We have produced a series of practical briefings and guidance for health and social care professionals who help people to stop smoking. These cover many of the key issues that arise when giving information, advice and support to people who smoke.

    The first of these is the Standard Treatment Programme that describes how you deliver the behaviour change techniques needed to maximise your clients' changes of quitting.

    To find out more about the briefings, and to read them online or as a PDF free of charge , click on the links below.

    Smoking cessation and mental health

    These complementary briefings provide practitioners and managers with an overview of supporting patients admitted to smokefree premises and maximising the chances of cessation, managing temporary abstinence and implementing and maintaining smokefree policies.

    Smoking cessation and cannabis use

    These complementary briefings both provide practitioners with an overview of cannabis products and methods of harm reduction, and guidance and practical considerations for stop smoking services when developing policies for discussing and recording cannabis use with service users.

    Pregnancy

    Below is a briefing for front line staff that complements our online training module on Very Brief Advice on Smoking for Pregnant Women. We have also tailored a Standard Treatment Programme for Pregnant Women that describes how you deliver the behaviour change techniques needed to maximise your clients' changes of quitting.