published

Smoking in Pregnancy Project Report: June 2012
1.5 Local delivery
1.5.1 Local stop smoking services
The number of pregnant women supported by local stop smoking services has consistently
increased over the last 10 years. In 2010/11 local stop smoking services supported over
21,839 pregnant women, with 9,864 (45.2%) self-reporting stopping for a minimum of
four weeks. 22
1.5.2 NCSCT survey
As referral data is not routinely captured at a national level, the NCSCT conducted a short
survey in 2011 to ascertain the extent to which the NICE guidance 26 ‘Quitting smoking
in pregnancy and following childbirth’ recommendations one and two were currently being
implemented at a local level. The survey was administered as an online questionnaire and
sent to stop smoking service managers in England; there were 52 responses to the survey
(56% of recipients of the questionnaire).
Nearly three quarters (71%, n=37) of respondents reported that pregnant smokers were
being identified by CO testing, whilst just under a third (29%, n=15) remained reliant upon
self-reported smoking status. The use of cotinine testing was not reported within the
respondent sample.
Just under three-quarters of respondents (71%, n=37) reported that the identification of
pregnant smokers was routine practice at antenatal booking by midwives. In addition, over
half, 54% (n=28) of respondents reported that GPs routinely identified pregnant smokers,
with further respondents reporting that other health care professionals including the health
visitor and midwife support workers also routinely identified pregnant smokers as shown in
figure 1. There were no reports of smokers being routinely identified at any postnatal contact.
Figure 1: Routine identification by health care professional
GPs – 54%
Health visitor – 13%
Obstetrician – 2%
Midwife support worker – 12%
N/A – 19%
11