​David Robertson, partnerships lead at ASH Scotland, says collaboration between agencies led by the third sector is paving the way for a smoke free generation

So often we have seen the voluntary sector wooed into supporting the statutory sector in making the most of limited resources through partnership working. Often it is the statutory sector which organises meetings, draws up agendas, and cajoles members to sign up and to attend.

However, there are examples of the voluntary sector leading the way at national level and the Scottish Tobacco-free Alliance (STA) managed by ASH Scotland has made an impact since its formation in 2001.

ASH Scotland as you would expect, has a clear goal to reduce the harm caused by tobacco in Scotland but STA members from the NHS, local authorities, community organisations, universities and professional representative organisations collaborate to ensure that the whole tobacco-free community of interest can have an input into improving policy and practice.

The STA is not simply a platform for sharing information and good practice, the STA has been utilised by ASH Scotland, NHS Health Scotland and the Scottish Government as a sounding board to ensure ideas put forward can work in the real world.

For example STA members have been consulted on all the major policy changes effecting tobacco control in Scotland. ASH Scotland reported the views of STA members on the smoking cessation guidelines, smoke-free public places legislation, increasing the age of tobacco sale to 18, point of sale legislation and smoke-free health board and local authority grounds.

STA Short-life working groups have reported on issues such as smoking and cannabis and maternal smoking and earlier this year staged its third smoking and mental health summit to help inform the Scottish Government’s new strategy on mental health.

STA is not simply a platform for sharing information and good practice

STA members from across the statutory and voluntary sectors with support from the ASH Scotland Engagement Team are currently working on improving action on a number of issues exercising the healthcare community, particularly those addressing health inequality.

For example, how to maintain smoke-free partnership working through the transition to Health and Social Care Partnerships, how to draw those supporting people living in poverty into supporting moves to reduce smoking and how to improve the response to young smokers in care.

The STA communicates with other important voluntary sector organisations such as VHS and CHEX to insure those working across Scotland have access to the influence that the STA and ASH Scotland’s other partnerships can bring.

The STA over the years has been used as inspiration for the creation of other voluntary sector-led fora and holds its 14th Annual learning day in Stirling on 7 September with an input from the respected STA Research Group which contains some of the best known names in international tobacco related research.

For more information see www.ashscotland.org.uk