The greatest ideas are so often the simplest. And right now, NHS Western Isles is proving it with excellent results from the recently introduced FLORENCE programme for home health monitoring.

This system uses text messaging to keep in touch with patients who need regular monitoring – and Smokefree Hebrides are pleased to announce they are also utilising FLORENCE to keep in touch with their clients.

Through FLORENCE Smokefree Hebrides are encouraging their clients to engage fully in the smoking cessation service, providing them with motivational messages, reminder texts and where to access reliable and up to date information.

The text messages are generated by a computer programme but look like messages from a real person. All the results are collated on a web interface which can be viewed by Smokefree Hebrides staff, in real time.

Smokefree Hebrides are utilising FLORENCE to:

• encourage the client to successfully stop smoking
• reinforce the messages in the QUIT KIT literature
• encourage positive behavior changes to empower the client
• improve attendance to 1:1 appointments therefore more efficient planning of co-ordinators time
• improve awareness of information available to encourage self management.

For further information please contact Smokefree Hebrides, tel. 01851 701623 or email: smokefreehebrides@nhs.net