FRIDAY, 3 JULY, 2015

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: PHOTOGRAPH ATTACHED – CHARGE NURSE KATHLEEN TOUGH

Free yourself from smoking

It’s never too late to give up smoking and change your life.

Charge nurse Kathleen Tough smoked for more than three decades before finally quitting after getting support from NHS Tayside Smoke Free Services.

Kathleen, who works at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, started attending smoking cessation sessions with the service and was thrilled when she finally gave up.

Kathleen said, “I had tried a couple of times before to stop but my best effort was around a month before I started again.

“The Smoke Free Services team offer flexibility in the support they provide which helps when you are working shifts. They would be encouraging and allow you to make your own decisions about when it was time to reduce the strength of your nicotine patch and would encourage you to call them if you were struggling.

“I would have found it difficult without their continual support. I never thought I would achieve it.”

Kathleen said she is “feeling great” since giving up smoking and has experienced real benefits to her health.

She said, “I go to the gym now and spin class and I cannot believe the change in my fitness.

“Several people have asked how I was able to do it and I advise them to go to see the NHS Tayside Smoke Free Services Team, even just for a chat.

“I would never have believed I would have stopped. The Smoke Free Services team made it much easier this time and I would recommend the service to anyone that was thinking of stopping.”

NHS Tayside operates a no smoking policy on all sites and grounds to continue to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of all patients, visitors and staff.

The Scottish Government has set out the ambition for Scotland to be a place where almost nobody smokes. NHS Tayside supports this ambition and asks that people who wish to smoke only do so outwith NHS Tayside premises or grounds.

From 31 March 2015, all hospital sites across Scotland became smoke free to meet the requirements of the Scottish Government’s tobacco control strategy.

Support to stop smoking or refrain from smoking while on NHS sites is available to patients, visitors and staff from the NHS Tayside Smoke Free Services and local pharmacies.

Tayside Smoke Free Services offer free advice, support and free stop smoking treatments such as nicotine patches. Support from smoke free services means you are four times more likely to stop successfully than if you go it alone.

Giving up smoking is the single most important lifestyle decision that anyone can make to improve their

health immediately.

Anyone who would like support can call NHS Tayside Smoke Free Services on 0845 600 999 6 to find out about all the ways in which NHS Tayside can help support people to become smoke free. Anyone who wants to stop smoking can also visit their local pharmacist to find out more about a free programme of support to quit smoking. You can also join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nhstaysidesmokefree

Health benefits to quitting smoking

• 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure and pulse return to normal

• 48 hours - no nicotine is left in your body. Your senses of taste and smell are greatly improved

• 72 hours - your breathing becomes easier and your energy levels increase

• 2-12 weeks after quitting smoking your circulation improves and exercise can be easier

• 3-9 months - any coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve

• Within one year the risk of heart attack is halved

• Within 10 years the risk of lung cancer is halved and the risk of heart attack is at the same level

as non-smokers

• Medium to long term – stopping smoking at any age increases your life expectancy, provided you

stop before the onset of serious disease. Even if you have developed a disease, you can benefit

from stopping as your body will be under less strain and be able to fight it more easily

Smoking causes the premature deaths of 13,000 people in Scotland every year and causes 56,000 hospital admissions. It is the single largest preventable cause of ill health and mortality. ‘Second-hand’ smoke or passive smoking is a significant health risk to non-smokers. Passive smoking is calculated to cause:

• Nearly 1 in 10 of all deaths due to stroke.

• Nearly 1 in 20 of all deaths due to asthma

• More than 1 in 30 of all deaths due to heart disease

• More than 1 in 25 of all lung cancers

Contact:

Debbie Huband

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740134