Effectiveness of Smoking Cessation Services in England--Clinic in Whitechapel as an example

Smoking related illness and deaths are a significant problem globally. In the U.K. the government has been funding a nation-wide network of specialist clinics that provide support to smokers who want to quit since 1999. The specialist clinic in Whitechapel covers the boroughs of Tower Hamlets and the City of London. We analysed the records of 516 smokers who started their treatment with the specialist clinic in the period April 2013-March 2014. The data was analysed by ethnic group, age, sex, socio economic status, pharmacotherapy type and intervention type. Of these 516 smokers, 273 (53%) had successfully quit smoking by the end of the 7-week treatment. The results from the specialist clinic were in line with the national average of the UK in terms of self-reported quit rate (51%), although they are better than national average in terms of quit rate that has been biochemically validated. In the specialist clinic in Whitechapel, compared to the U.K. average, more people from minority ethnic groups were treated, more males than females were treated and there was a higher percentage of people who used Varenicline than NRT. The results provide useful information about the client population treated by the specialist clinic in Whitechapel, however the findings need to be understood within the context of local health geography challenges and different client mixes.