SmokeFree

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Thank you, Krishnan, and apologies to everyone here who thought you were coming to the snow-free conference today, but so as not to disappoint you, there will be a number of meteorological references scattered throughout the presentation.

But to address smokefree communications, the campaign of course has one simple aim, which is to secure sustainable compliance with the smokefree legislation from 1st July. I’m going to address how we’re going about communications, with the aim of achieving comprehensive awareness of the legislation and implementation date, understanding among key groups of how it affects them and what action they need to take, and full compliance on implementation day.

The central message is very simple. Smokefree is needed, due to the overwhelming evidence of the health risks of secondhand smoke to employees, and the public. Smokefree is wanted, with the public firmly behind the move, as we’ve heard, and as was shown in the DVD. And smokefree is workable. As experience elsewhere shows, it is generally self-enforcing and need not have an adverse affect on businesses who prepare in advance, and indeed for many it can be beneficial.

This chart provides an overview of the phasing of the campaign, which started on 1st December, with the announcement of the implementation date on 1st July. The key message, or the main task was, and remains, to tell people that the legislation is coming, that it affects you, and you will need to take action. We’ve just moved into the second phase of the campaign, with the publication of the second set of regulations last week, and we are encouraging businesses to find out more, and to stay informed, largely by registering on the smokefree website, which I’ll come on to in a moment. Once we reach the 100 days to go mark, on 23rd March, that Caroline mentioned, we’re intending to focus on the fact that if you haven’t started already now is the time for action. Here’s what to do. These are the risks if you don’t comply. We haven’t actually factored in, Caroline, the idea of you standing with a calendar to tear off from 23rd March, but we’ll bear in mind the offer. Thank you very much. And then in the fourth phase of the campaign, after 1st July, we’ll focus on the health and business benefits of the change, demonstrate the support for the legislation, and if necessary publicise the action that’s taken in cases of non-compliance. A subsidiary message throughout the campaign is that free NHS support exists for staff and customers who want to give up smoking.

Now, as everyone appreciates there is a massive job to be done to achieve compliance by the 3.7 million businesses in England, and therefore we’re using all the tools in the communications toolbox to drive home the messages, a blizzard of publicity, if you like. We’re also conscious that there’s only a certain amount that can be achieved centrally, and therefore we’ve designed the campaign to use, if I may call it that, the snowball effect. We’re working with a very large number of stakeholders, including all of you, seeking your help to communicate through your own internal networks at the national, regional and local level. We’re therefore making available a wide set of materials to support you and your own networks in communicating what’s happening. These range from brochures, and posters, to the DVD that you’ve seen, which is available, and copies of presentations like this, and if you’d like any of these please go to the website, or contact us directly.

I’ve mentioned the website www.smokefreeengland.co.uk and this is the central resource, which is designed to ensure consistency across the whole campaign. It’s being continually updated to contain all the latest information, and has downloadable materials available. Please go to the stay informed section of the website to register, and you’ll be sent updates automatically, and please encourage others in your organisation, and networks, to do the same.

We realise that people are subject to a hail of direct mail, so we’re not expecting direct mail to achieve anything on its own, or not everything on its own, but it is a useful additional tool, and as Caroline mentioned, we’ve already sent posters, and interim guidance, the material that’s contained in your delegate packs, to 700,000 businesses in January, and next month we’re planning to send guidance, and free signs to every registered business in England. There will be four signs, four stickers in the pack, two of the A5 signs for public entrances, and two smaller signs for vehicles, or other entrances. And I should also mention that signs will be downloadable from the website. Centrally, we’re working with the media to raise awareness and understanding of the legislation at national, regional, and local level, and with specialist press. And we’d also very much like to work with you, to get messages out to sector and local press, so please do talk to me, or another member of the Smokefree England team today, if you could help, or would like support in that. We’ve been supplying articles, and fact sheets to the media, and of course they particularly like case studies of organisations that have gone smokefree, or are going smokefree successfully.

We’re also planning a number of stories to remind people of the legislation, in the coming months, and one example is the smoking room story, where we’re conducting research now to find out how many businesses are aware that they have to get rid of their smoking rooms, and to find out what they’re going to do with them. We’ll be announcing the issuing of guidance, and we’ll be making a splash about the 100-day countdown on 23rd March, as well as implementation day itself. You might also be interested to know that Coronation Street, and Eastenders are also planning, as far as we understand it, to build the legislation into their storylines, and we’ve been on their sets to talk to them, to ensure that what they report, or the way they use that information is accurate.

There’s also advertising, and some of you may have seen these two advertisements, which appeared in the national press last month, designed to let people know about the forthcoming legislation, and to encourage them to register on the website, to stay informed. The Department of Health will also be running a campaign in March, on the health risks of secondhand smoke, so look out on your TV screens for the advert about a wedding, and the 85% of cigarette smoke, secondhand smoke that is invisible. And then from April onwards we’re planning further advertising in the run-up to 1st July, and beyond, to remind people about the legislation, and about enforcement.

So how can you help? Well, please register yourselves, if you haven’t already, on the Smokefree England website. Click on the stay informed button, and encourage others to, as well, then they will personally be sent updates, and free signs, and guidance. It would also bring some sunshine into our lives if you could help us in our media work, by letting us know about organisations that have successfully gone smokefree, so that we can provide case studies to the media. And above all we’re counting on you to help by spreading the word among your own networks, and so bring about a very desirable wind of change. And I will leave you with the Smokefree England contact details. Thank you very much.

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