TUESDAY, 13 MARCH, 2018

EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01, WEDNESDAY, 14 MARCH: PHOTO ATTACHED: PHARMACIST ANOOP GREWAL AND NICOLA GREIG

Quit Your Way this No Smoking Day

Are you ready to change your life and Quit Your Way this No Smoking Day?

NHS Tayside Quit Your Way services are encouraging people to stub out the habit this No Smoking Day (Wednesday, 14 March) using the support available in Tayside.

Dundee mum Nicola Greig received support from her local Boots pharmacy in Brownhill Road to quit smoking and said it has changed her life for the better. She attended the pharmacy for weekly carbon monoxide testing and further support and has now successfully managed to kick the habit for good.

Nicola, who smoked around 30-40 cigarettes a day, made the decision to quit after the sad death of a loved one.

She said, “I went to my pharmacy for support on the 12-week programme and they have been amazing. The staff were so friendly and have done so much to encourage me and support me. They have displayed so much empathy and are there whenever I need them.

“My family have been really supportive and I know they are proud of me. I am proud of myself too as it has been difficult at times but I am determined to keep going.”

Nicola said she hoped more people would seek support from their local community pharmacies to help them quit their way.

“I feel much better already. I would usually get a chest infection every winter but I have not had anything like that this year and I’ve not even had a cough. I would definitely encourage other people to get the support they need to quit. It can be hard to give up smoking but the support makes it much easier. I am really grateful for the pharmacy’s ongoing support.”

Members of the NHS Tayside Quit Your Way services will be providing advice on the support available to quit smoking at the No Smoking Day information stands today (Wednesday, 14 March):

• Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, main concourse, between 9am – 4pm

• Boots Pharmacy in Arbroath High Street between 10am – 12noon

• Boots Pharmacy in Brownhill Road, Dundee between 2pm – 4pm

Giving up smoking is the single most important lifestyle decision that anyone can make to improve their health immediately. Anyone who wants to stop smoking can visit any local community pharmacy or call the Quit Your Way service locally on 0845 600 999 6 to find out about all the ways NHS Tayside can help support people to become smoke free.

NHS Tayside has two incentive schemes to quit smoking that offer £12.50 a week in vouchers to spend at a local supermarket. Your pharmacy can let you know if you are eligible for Quit4U which is a 12 week programme.

For all pregnant women trying to quit, there is also the Give it up for Baby incentive scheme which gives people free support, products and an incentive of £12.50 per week for up to three months after their baby is born.

You can find and like the Tayside Quit Your Way service page on Facebook by searching for Tayside Quit Your Way. There’s lots of information about the programmes that offer support and free nicotine replacement therapy (patches and gum etc), as well as Champix, which is a tablet that blocks the desire to smoke and is often effective in helping people quit.

NHS Tayside’s hospital grounds are now all smoke free. Community pharmacies provide smoking cessation information and support to NHS staff, patients and members of the public, including the availability of Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Help is also available for patients to help them remain smoke free while in hospital.

Only one in five people now smoke and NHS Tayside’s policy aims to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of the people using our services. NHS Tayside’s no smoking policy covers all NHS Tayside premises and grounds. It aims to contribute to the improvement of the health of the population of Tayside.

NHS Tayside’s smoking policy now allows the use of e-cigarettes on NHS Tayside grounds but they remain prohibited in buildings and enclosed spaces.

Later this year, the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc And Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 will make it illegal to smoke within 15 metres of a hospital building. Anyone breaking this law will be liable to receive a fixed penalty notice which can be issued by enforcement officers employed by the Local Authority. Guidance about the new law will be issued by the Scottish Government, including the responsibilities of NHS and Local Authorities and how they will work in partnership to enforce it.

Contact:

Debbie Huband

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740134