Organisation: Dundee LHCC
Lead / Main Contact: Margaret Muir
Duration: 2 Years, 3 Months
Target Group: Pregnant Women
Project Profile:
This project provided specialist one-to-one support in locations throughout Dundee, for pregnant women who smoked throughout their pregnancy (and into the postnatal period). Recognising the importance of family support and the impact of passive smoking on both mum and baby, other family members who wished to stop smoking were offered advice and other sources of support if required.
A project Health Visitor was funded to assess needs, pilot developments, evaluate activities and train staff. Along with key Midwives the Health Visitor aimed to modify the existing smoking and pregnancy protocol in the midwifery department to include referral at the first antenatal appointment to the Health Visitor of all pregnant smokers who wanted help to stop smoking. The project hoped to improve access to Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) locally for pregnant women who wanted to stop smoking by supporting them when they approached their GP for a NRT prescription. A Patient Group Direction (PGD) was piloted, and where it was agreed that a woman might benefit from NRT, the Health Visitor would advise them to go direct to a Community Pharmacist for an NRT prescription.