Across Surrey and Borders Partnership, our colleagues bring care, creativity and commitment to everything they do.
In these stories, they share what their roles involve and what a typical day looks like, offering a real glimpse into the work we do and the people who make it happen.
Meet Julie, Tobacco Dependency Advisor.
I enjoy working directly with the people who use our services and being able to support them through what can be a very challenging time.
I’m a Tobacco Dependency Advisor working within the Physical Health Team. My role focuses on supporting people who use our services who smoke or vape during their admission within our trust's smokefree hospital environment. Being admitted to hospital can already be a stressful time and nicotine withdrawal can make things harder. I assess individuals shortly after admission and offer tailored support, advising appropriate nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to meet their assessed needs and help prevent nicotine withdrawal. I provide ongoing support throughout admission, discussing the benefits of quitting smoking, offering advice and encouragement to start a smokefree journey. After discharge, I follow up with a phone call to continue the support offered, and where appropriate, I refer to a community stop smoking service. The aim is to improve physical health and make sure people feel supported every step of the way in their smokefree journey, during their admission and beyond.
split my time between Farnham Road Hospital and Silverwood. Each day starts by reviewing the current case loads, as well as identifying any new admissions who may require support. I carry out nicotine dependency assessments, advise appropriate NRT or vapes and write up notes. I’m also involved in a Quality Improvement project on Rowan Ward, which aims to ensure that everyone who smokes or vapes is offered support within 30 minutes of admission. I also make follow-up calls to recently discharged individuals to continue offering support. NHS England requires monthly data submissions, detailing referrals to the Tobacco Dependency service and support offered, which I complete. Health promotion is essential to supporting a smokefree environment and I am involved in national and local campaigns, such as Stoptober to promote the benefits of quitting smoking.
enjoy working directly with the people who use our services and being able to support them through what can be a very challenging time. Everyone is different, so I adapt my approach depending on the person. That variety keeps the role interesting and rewarding, especially when someone decides they want to quit smoking and I can help them take that step.
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