The tobacco pilots funded through the third phase of the Tobacco and Inequalities initiative drew to a close in 2008, following the successful distribution of around £220,000.
Target
The groups targeted by funding were those identified as experiencing greater health inequalities within disadvantaged communities:
Focus
The focus and priorities for each of the three themes were identified in a needs assessment carried out by ASH Scotland. Funding provided by NHS Health Scotland and the Scottish Government enabled partnership working between organisations and services to explore innovative ways of addressing identified health, service needs and gaps in stop smoking service provision relating to:
- support (e.g. delivery style, interventions)
- accessibility (e.g. flexibility - where, when and how long)
- information (e.g. signposting to existing stop smoking services, appropriateness of resources for target audiences)
- training (e.g. skills, knowledge and awareness)
- policy development
Distribution of small grants fund
A total of twenty-five grants ranging from £1,000 to £15,000 were distributed across Scotland to a host of organisations including voluntary services, health boards and local stop-smoking services. Thirteen grants were awarded in 2005 and 12 in 2006. Five organisations were successful in their bid for funding in both rounds.
Additional areas of inequality addressed, in combination with the three themes, include Gypsy and Travellers and homelessness, under ethnic minority communities and mental health respectively.
Evaluation
An external evaluation of the small grants fund was carried out and the final report was disseminated in 2008. Further information and the full report plus case studies are available to download.
The pilots
The range of activity across all three themes were new and innovative. Work included:
- research into smoking rates amongst young south Asians, and a needs assessment of older smokers in residential care homes
- research for the development of tobacco training for primary care staff working with older adults
- development of a multimedia (DVD) resource, to raise awareness of the types of tobacco products used by some ethnic minority groups and their impact on oral health
- development of a tobacco resource pack for mental health practitioners
- delivery of a variety of events and sessions to raise awareness of tobacco and its impact on health targeting practitioners, mentors and local communities
For further information on individual projects please contact:
John Sim - Development Officer (Inequalities): JSim@ashscotland.org.uk
Tracey Norris - Strategey Development Manager (Inequalities): TNorris@ashscotland.org.uk
