Think Quit: Empowering nurses to help patients quit smoking
Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTM UHB) has one of the highest smoking rates of all Welsh Health Boards.
To address this, a research team from CTM UHB, the University of South Wales, and the Behavioural Science Unit at Public Health Wales received funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing to carry out the Think Quit study.
The study, which took place between June 2024 and August 2025, explored what helps and what hinders nurses talking to patients about smoking and referring them to Help Me Quit. People who use the Help Me Quit national smoking cessation service are three times more likely to stop smoking than those who try to quit on their own, however referrals to Help Me Quit remain low.
One key barrier identified was that nurses rarely saw examples of successful outcomes when patients were referred.
To tackle this, the research team worked with nurses and other stakeholders to design and launch the Think Quit intervention. The intervention, which has been co-designed with nurses across CTM UHB, was launched at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in November 2025 and involved providing nurses with feedback on the results of their referrals, helping them feel confident to start these conversations with patients. View an example of “Your Referrals Matter” - the feedback provided to nurses.
Dr Jessica Baillie, Principal Researcher, Public Health, said: “We were delighted to conduct the Think Quit intervention, which we co-developed with nurses from CTM UHB with the aim of empowering staff, and showing them just how valuable their referrals are, and how many patients actually access support to stop smoking. This in turn will hopefully increase the number of referrals, and lead to even more patients benefitting from the Help Me Quit service.”
Feedback from the nurses involved in the initiative included:
“It's a useful tool to understand how well we're doing and to understand that our efforts are worthwhile.”
“A resource like this may encourage me to make that referral [to Help Me Quit] for individuals.”
“It can break down the barriers of it being somebody else's responsibility.”
Professor John Geen, Research & Development (R&D) Assistant Director, CTM UHB said: “This project is an excellent demonstration of the R&D team’s own research capabilities; showcasing expertise in designing research studies, applying for funding and building collaborative research networks. These strengths show that the R&D service can undertake its own research, obtain competitive external grants and support and deliver high quality research being undertaken by partner researchers, that has a beneficial impact for our wider population and patient care.“
While the project has now ended, the team hopes to seek further funding in the future to explore whether the intervention led to measurable change.
For more information about the study, please contact the team at CTM.ThinkQuit@wales.nhs.uk.
If you are interested in finding out how Help Me Quit can support you to stop smoking for good, visit the Help Me Quit website website or call freephone 0800 085 2219.
22/01/2026