Enhanced support for local tobacco control

28 Jul 2014 12:54 PM

Public Health England re-launches the CLeaR assessment with new support for local organisations. 

Public Health England (PHE) is backing local authorities, tobacco control alliances, and health and wellbeing boards to undertake the CLeaR tobacco control assessment.

Originally developed by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), CLeaR supports local public health organisations to review their current tobacco control efforts and develop further actions to reduce smoking rates.

As part of its commitment to supporting local tobacco control, PHE will provide CLeaR assessment training for 2 people engaged in tobacco control in each local authority area.

CLeaR participants begin the review process of evaluating their tobacco control efforts by completing a self-assessment. Once complete, participants can invite a peer-assessment team to review the self-assessment, visit the locality to clarify understanding, and provide a CLeaR report which can be used to support further improvement. The assessment can be completed annually to track progress.

Councils that complete the assessment are awarded the CLeaR standard mark, a public recognition of their work to reduce the harm from tobacco.

Local tobacco control measures can include:

• effective enforcement of existing legislation: for example, age of sale restrictions and smoke free laws
• commissioning and promoting stop smoking services
• designating additional smoke free areas: for example, playgrounds or parks

These measures have a number of benefits including:

• saving money for local health and social care services
• protecting children from harm
• increasing the disposable income of local populations
• reducing inequalities caused by smoking

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health England, said:

Public Health England is delighted to be re-launching the CLeaR tool. By prioritising tobacco control local bodies have the ability to transform the public’s health by tackling the biggest cause of preventable deaths and health inequalities in England.

Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive, Action on Smoking and Health said:

We can never be complacent in our efforts to reduce the harm caused by tobacco. CLeaR was designed by and for local partners to take stock of their efforts and engage their peers to improve the health of their communities. The CLeaR re-launch with the new PHE incentives provide further encouragement and support for local organisations to prioritise tobacco control.

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Notes to editors

• PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It does this through advocacy, partnerships, world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health. www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk
• CLeaR was originally developed by ASH, in conjunction with partners including Cancer Research UK, Tobacco Free Futures, FRESH, Smoke Free South West, CIEH, NICE and a range of partners from local government and the NHS.
• The CLeaR model is based on the 3 domains of;
  • challenge for existing tobacco control services, based on the evidence of the most effective components of comprehensive tobacco control, as outlined in NICE Guidance and Healthy Lives, Healthy People: a tobacco control plan for England
  • leadership for comprehensive action to tackle tobacco
  • results demonstrated by outcomes delivered against national and local priorities
• These 3 domains are underpinned by the central core of local priorities, which encourages the consideration of the broader aims of local authorities and health and wellbeing boards complement and support strategies to tackle tobacco.
• PHE is taking the CLeaR tool under licence from ASH until 2015 as part ofPHE’s work to support local tobacco control.
• For more information on CLeaR please visit the clear local tobacco control assessment page or contact CLeaRTobaccoTeam@phe.gov.uk.