Eastern European language specialist helping smoking cessation in Gloucester

A primary care network (PCN) in inner-city Gloucester has employed a smoking cessation coach who speaks several Eastern European languages to help patients give up smoking.

Gloucester Inner City PCN (GIC-PCN) used data to take a population health management (PHM) approach and identified that, after English-speaking patients, the largest number of smokers in the area were Eastern European.

Senior respiratory specialist nurse Sonia Silk said the PCN looked at language and postcode area and found there were nearly 800 Polish, Czech and Slovak-speaking patients who smoke.

‘We have very high levels of smoking in this area. Nationally it’s around 13% compared to 23% of our local population. Not everyone who needs services will ask to access them, particularly those whose first language is not English,’ she said.

Smoking is described as one of the biggest contributors to health inequalities, with nicotine addiction peaking in areas where people face a greater number of challenges and have fewer opportunities for help.

To tackle this, the PCN has employed smoking cessation coach Krzysztof Habicht who speaks Polish, Slovak and Czech.

He offers one-to-one help with patients in their own language.

As well as sending text messages to patients in Czech and Polish, the PCN has produced posters and leaflets in different languages.

Mr Habicht, who is Polish, has had contact with over 350 patients, and more than 100 have accepted support to help them give up smoking.

He said speaking the same language as patients helped to remove a barrier.

‘People are too afraid sometimes to even answer the phone because they feel they can’t communicate. My role is to explain everything at the first appointment and put the person at ease,’ he said.

As well as setting out treatment options, Mr Habicht can also explain how pharmacology such as nicotine replacement therapy (NRP) works. This means patients are better placed to make an informed decision and comply with the treatment.  

‘Explaining the mechanism of how things work, like the nicotine receptors in your brain, helps people understand what is happening to them,’ said Mr Habicht.