E-Cigarette Provision and Voucher Redemption Service

This tender is for the provision of an E-cigarette voucher redemption scheme, to support Kent Community Health Foundation Trust's smoking cessation programmes.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) SmokeFree service is the only provider of smoking cessation services in Kent. In order to continue to offer E-Cigarettes to all clients accessing the service it is our intention to issue an invitation to tender for providers of E-cigarettes in Kent, to provide a mechanism for KCHFT Smoke free clients to redeem vouchers they have been issued through the KCHFT episode of care, and receive e-cigarette products.

Background to the requirement

The One YOU smoke free service provides an abrupt stop smoking programme via weekly group, one to one, telephone and virtual support sessions, as well as 1:1 drop in sessions, to anyone who would like to give up smoking, over a seven-week period (which can be extended where flexibility is required). The aim of the programme is for clients to set a quit date by week 3 of the programme, which then leaves 4 weeks to achieve that date and to quit smoking, which is then recorded at the final session in week 7, and verified by a CO reading (or self-verified by the client where sessions are virtual and or they are unable to complete a CO reading). This provides the service with a 4-week quit outcome. The delivery of the service is via a core team that work for KCHFT, and sub contracts are held with pharmacy and primary care. Venues are sought across the County so that there is a targeted approach.

Since April 2022 the service has been piloting an e-cigarette offer through the Smoke free programme utilising additional funding from the Local Authority Tobacco Control budget, in agreement with Commissioners. This pilot has been really successful and a business decision was made to ensure that we had sustained funding within our service budget to continue to provide this as part of our substantive offer moving forwards.