Smoking has a significant negative effect on patients' health status. The Department of Health (DH) recently announced a Tobacco Control Plan, which sets out the government's strategy for reducing smoking rates and increasing patients' access to smoking cessation services. This article examines the main points of the Tobacco Control Plan, as well as detailing how community nurses can use the plan to improve their own interactions with patients who smoke, as well as designing effective smoking cessation services. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.