COVID-19 Information for public health stakeholders
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) highlights that vape shops are still encouraged to operate, but through telephone, postal and on-line sales rather than high street shops. While dedicated vape stores are closed, most will still be able to provide advice and support alongside sales via telephone, website chat functions, email, etc., and many will have trained smoking cessation advisors on staff, via the NCSCT online training.
Stores are contacting their existing customer databases to advise them accordingly, and are sending orders via the usual postal methods. Those who have assessed that it is safe and viable for them to do so, are also doing local contactless deliveries.
The IBVTA provide guidance to their members on the safety measures that must be upheld during business continuity which are in line with Government and PHE guidance.
A list of suppliers can be found at www.findavapeshop.com/online-vaping-shops/
The IBVTA is co-ordinating support for local authorities and services in incidences where local councils are placing people who are homeless or living in supported housing into accommodation – where they cannot smoke indoors – and who are being offered vaping as an alternative.
Public Health England (PHE) has drawn attention to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3, which forbids any Government agency from work with the tobacco industry that might influence or be seen to influence policy. Although IBVTA members do not have the resources of tobacco businesses, they are all completely independent of any control from the tobacco or pharmaceutical industries.
If a local authority or service would like assistance in sourcing vaping supplies for this purpose as part of the Covid-19 response, please send an email to info@ibvta.org.uk, or fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page. It would be useful to include the area and local authority involved, as well as an idea of quantities.
Services should take into account that some hotels and other premises being used during the covid-19 response may have alarms installed that detect vapour, such as the kind that may be triggered by bathroom showers. This should be factored into your plans to provide vaping kits wherever appropriate.
Discover how IBVTA members are helping drive success in smoking cessation with expert advice and quality vaping products.
Are you an influencer in public health, within a local authority or NHS Trust?
A research group or NGO interested in vaping?
The IBVTA recognises the need amongst the public health and research community for assurances that the vaping products and businesses they work with on smoking cessation projects or studies are of exceptional quality and independent of the tobacco industry.
We are proud that so many organisations are choosing to only work with IBVTA members because of these assurances.
Our members:
- take a positive and responsible attitude to product stewardship
- supply products which comply with current regulations
- have access to the IBVTA’s Primary Authority Partnership, recognised by the Office for Product Safety and Standards’ ‘Regulatory Excellence Awards’ for 2019
- are industry leaders in providing exceptional technical advice and customer support to smokers wishing to switch from smoking to vaping
These projects, and more, have chosen to work with IBVTA members:
- Training for NHS Mental Health Trust ward health champions and product supply as part of a pilot scheme where 60-70% of the service users were smokers.
- 3 month pilot study, subsequently extended for a further 3 months, by a North West council targeting manual workers and residents of social housing.
- A north west NHS Foundation trust scheme needed to make their secure unit campus for clients with learning difficulties and mental health conditions fully smoke free within a tight deadline. They required a range of support from order processing and delivery to technical and regulatory advice.
- A north western infirmary’s project involving free e-cigarettes to pre-op patients as part of their wider cessation offering, monitored and evaluated in line with national guidelines.
Some member case studies in focus:
Liberty Flights Limited is working with the addiction centre at a leading London University on a study funded by a cancer charity, supporting clients who access drug and alcohol services. The location for the study is an NHS Foundation Trust which provides care and treatment for people with mental health problems. The study is a mixed methods study supporting clients to quit smoking with alternative nicotine products including NRT and vape products. Liberty Flights is supplying products within the budget of the study, and provided advice and guidance at the product selection stage.
As the study is ongoing results are not yet available, but it has already provided interesting learning outcomes. Early feedback from the study lead is that they have appreciated that Liberty Flights have remained hands off, therefore protecting the integrity of the study, as well as excelling at working within the complex University systems.
E-Cigarette Direct was commissioned and awarded the contract to supply a stop smoking service looking to source e-cigarettes as part of their 12 week treatment programme. After discussions to analyse the needs of the service and its users, E-Cigarette Direct proposed a suitable starter kit, together with an all round service for ongoing support. Key to success was finding a device which satisfies a number of requirements: simplicity and ease of use, a quality vaping experience, flavours likely to appeal to new vapers, and at a price which would minimise the cost to the stop smoking service. Additional after-care and support was provided to both the service and users to minimise the time and expense of administering the scheme.
From Oct 2018, 60% of those using E-Cigarette Direct’s products went on to quit smoking, with fantastic results arising from the combination of expert behavioural support with e-cigarette use. They have since forged an ongoing relationship and have supplied over 2,000 kits to the service.
Over 10 weeks at the beginning of 2018 Totally Wicked worked with a city council, funded by a metropolitan Health and Social Care Partnership. A pilot scheme was delivered through community Stop Smoking Services and pharmacies, targeting some of the more deprived areas of the city. Totally Wicked was chosen to supply the products for the pilot and also delivered e-cigarette training to all cessation staff involved in the project. Free e-cigarettes and e-liquids were provided to support over 1000 smokers with their quit attempts, as well as open doors at two of their stores to offer ongoing support throughout the scheme.
Over the course of 4 weeks, the study saw quit rates of 63% in the local area, and supported their move to roll out a more comprehensive approach to using vaping as part of its smoking cessation efforts.
Essex Vape is working with a local authority public health department, in conjunction with a multiborough NHS Foundation Trust on a smoking cessation project aimed at smoking in pregnancy and in new parents during the post-partum period.
Essex Vape has provided their staff with the NCSCT smoking cessation advisor training, and a voucher scheme is in operation for participants in the project to access vaping starter kits.
The project has just begun, but already the feedback so far is positive. The vape company partner was chosen due to their IBVTA membership and having a high level of expertise and ongoing customer support in place.
If you would like more information on vaping, would like the IBVTA to speak or exhibit at your event, or would like to find out how working with IBVTA members might benefit your organisation, please use the form, below.
We will only use your email for the purposes of contacting you in relation to your enquiry.