News and events: Tobacco Free Ireland Programme

News and events about the Tobacco Free Ireland programme.

Exploring new ways to tackle smoking inequalities conference 2023

This event took place on 28 February 2023 at Wood Quay. The conference looked at new ways to address health differences with smoking in our population.

It was hosted by the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme and Trinity College Dublin's Center for Health Policy and Management.

Nobody left behind - conference agenda (PDF, 160 KB, 2 pages)

Dr Rikke Siersbaek, School of Medicine, (TCD) presented research on stopping smoking.

How and why financial incentives help people to stop smoking (PDF, 110 KB, 2 pages)

Video

New Ways to Tackle Smoking Inequalities Conference 2023 (video)

National No Smoking Day 2023 webinar

This event marked No Smoking Day 2023 on Wednesday 22 February. This live webinar was hosted by the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme. The webinar explored patient safety and reducing risk through a tobacco free health service.

Video

National No Smoking Webinar 2023 (video)

Tobacco Endgame - Nobody Left Behind Conference 2022

The Tobacco Free Ireland Programme and HSE Health and Wellbeing hosted a conference on the 31 May 2022. This conference marked 'World No Tobacco Day'. It looked at the key elements and strategies for a tobacco free Ireland.

Tobacco Free Ireland Programme reports

The Tobacco Free Ireland Programme launched various reports at the conference.

Programme Plan (2022-2025)

This is a new plan setting out action across the health service to tackle the harm caused by smoking. This was created at a conference on how to end tobacco related harm.

Programme Plan (2022-2025) (PDF, 579 KB, 28 pages)

State of Tobacco Control report 2022

This report looks at the latest patterns of smoking in Ireland. It tracks progress and highlights emerging challenges.

State of Tobacco Control Report 2022 (PDF, 3.4 MB, 106 pages)

Tobacco endgame study

This was the first study to gather opinions from the public about ideas that could lead to a tobacco free Ireland.

Tobacco Endgame (PDF, 740 KB,15 pages)

Video

Tobacco Endgame - Nobody Left Behind Conference 2022 (video)

Presentation slides

The slides presented at the conference are available to view at the links below.

PDFs of the slides presented:

National No Smoking Day 2022 webinar

National No Smoking Day takes place every year on Ash Wednesday. This health awareness day intends to help people who want to quit smoking.

HSE Health and Wellbeing and the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme hosted a National No Smoking Day webinar. This event took place on Wednesday, 2 March. The webinar set out to give attendees a broad sense of what tobacco control in Ireland looks like. It set out to encourage action and participation in the Tobacco Free Ireland mission.

Over 190 attendees joined the webinar. People from health services, local authorities, schools, community groups, businesses, and international organisations. They joined for a tour of the Irish QUIT services and tobacco control initiatives.

Video

National No Smoking Day 2022 Webinar (video)

Presentations

Martina Blake (Lead, HSE TFI Programme) presented HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme (PDF, 2.3 MB, 10 pages).

Darina Carr (QUIT Campaign Manager) presented QUIT campaign evolution (PDF, 1.7 MB, 12 pages).

Quality improvement in tobacco free campus implementation webinar

This webinar took place on 26 November 2020. It discussed improving the quality of tobacco free campuses. Its aim was to remind everyone about the importance of having campuses free from tobacco.

It wanted to encourage health services to become tobacco free if they haven't already. Also to ensure that places already tobacco free continue to follow the rules.

There was an interactive section in the webinar. Participants engaged in group discussions to find solutions for current compliance challenges. The webinar closed following a plenary Q&A session.

Around 80 people attended the event. These attendees included a range of services across the organisation. They also included external stakeholders.

Speakers

Martina Blake (National Lead for the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme) presented an overview of tobacco use and the state of tobacco control today (PDF, 1.4 MB, 31 pages).

She shared information about how smoking affects our health service each year. This included data on hospitalisations caused by smoking. She also talked about how tobacco use can affect our ability to deal with COVID-19.

The speakers talked about the time staff spend on smoking breaks and being absent. As well as how patients and the public feel unhappy about smoking in our health service. They also discussed deaths caused by fires related to tobacco in our health services.

Leah Fitzsimons, who leads the Tobacco Free Campus initiative at TFI, talked about the 8 global quality standards. She shared creative ideas from the 2019 Tobacco Free Campus Bursary.

Andy Cooney, a health promotion officer from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, shared policy success stories from Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (PDF, 901 KB, 11 pages).

Frank Lynch, a clinical nurse manager at The National Forensic Mental Health Service in Dundrum, discussed the policy and how it is being used.

'Not Around Us'

In Ireland just over 3 in 20 people smoke. Tobacco Free Ireland aims to reduce this to 1 in 20 by 2025.

Two of the main goals in this plan are to:

  • protect children and make smoking seem less normal
  • offer help to quit tobacco use.

In May 2018, HSE's Tobacco Free Ireland (TFI) Programme held a conference at Farmleigh House, Co. Dublin for World No Tobacco Day. It had a variety of external partner agencies who are advocates for tobacco control. They held workshops to figure out how partner agencies can discourage tobacco use for the next generation. ‘Not Around Us’ was one of these projects. The Tobacco Free Limerick and Not Around Us project is helping Ireland get closer to becoming tobacco-free.

Limerick City and County Council dedicates itself to assisting important partners in Limerick. This includes the Health Service Executive (HSE), in enforcing the HSE's tobacco free campus policy. They believe that it should be normal for places in Ireland to be free from tobacco. This is especially important when it comes to protecting children.

Not Around Us encourages smokers to quit and makes it easier for them to stay smoke-free. Additionally, it seeks to discourage smoking for the next generation.

Not Around Us resources

Some Not Around Us communication and resources have been created. These are being used by community, statutory and private sectors in Limerick. These are to remind adults who smoke not to do so in places where children, families, and young people gather.

Tobacco free environments and policies are strongly supported by research.

They help to:

  • reduce exposure to second-hand smoke
  • moderate and reduce smoking
  • support cessation
  • reduce litter
  • raise awareness of the harms of smoking and,
  • direct people to supports to stop smoking

Limerick Comhairle na nÓg played an important part in collaborating with agencies. These agencies included Limerick City and County Council and the Health Service Executive (HSE). These agencies supported the development of Not Around Us resources.

So far, 39 locations in Limerick joined Not Around Us. Other counties in Ireland are already using the Not Around Us idea in their own communities.

The HSE helped to create more resources (signs and animated videos) as part of the 'Not Around Us' campaign. Anyone in the country who wants to make public areas free from tobacco can use them.

Not Around Us resources - limerick.ie

'Not Around Us' videos