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Irene Cormac is a consultant forensic psychiatrist with a special interest in physical healthcare at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (Rampton Hospital, Retford DN22 0PD, UK. Email: irene.cormac{at}nottshc.nhs.uk). She led the clinical implementation team at Rampton Hospital during the introduction of the smoke-free policy. Lisa McNally is a chartered health psychologist employed by Wandsworth Primary Care Trusts Public Health Department in London. She is an expert in smoking cessation and smoke-free policies in mental health settings.
It takes courage, leadership and planning to successfully implement a smoke-free policy in mental health settings. The content of the policy is crucial in setting parameters for implementation. Management and clinicians should work closely together to develop and coordinate the implementation strategy, ensuring that resources are effectively used and deadlines are met. Key success factors are effective management at both central and local levels, as well as consultation with service users, carers and staff to gain support for the policy and obtain suggestions for improvement. Other important factors are advance planning, recruitment of experienced staff, effective communication and extensive training of staff in smoking cessation support. Local teams should develop appropriate procedures based on the policy. They should work closely with the central management team. The resources developed and obtained by local teams should be shared throughout the organisation and should be tailored to meet the needs of particular services.
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