Statement: The healthcare organisation ensures appropriate education and training for clinical and non-clinical staff.
Education and training for health service staff builds a strong foundation for effective implementation of a smokefree policy. Service-wide training, including at induction, ensures all staff understand their responsibilities under the policy and the rationale for the policy position. This equips them to champion the health service position on smoking. The level of education for clinical staff will vary depending on their role, but all staff should be equipped to confidently and sensitively address smoking for all their patients and provide brief advice to encourage cessation. Clinicians involved in providing more detailed cessation support will require more in depth education around aspects such as motivational interviewing and pharmacotherapy.
Policy briefings and instruction are mandatory for all staff, including managers.
The healthcare organisation ensures that all staff know how to approach tobacco, associate devices/e-cigarette users, including visitors, to inform them of the tobacco-free policy and tobacco cessation services.
All clinical staff are trained in brief advice and best care measures for tobacco addiction /dependence in line with researched best practice.
Key clinical staff are trained in motivational tobacco cessation techniques in line with researched best practice.