Lanarkshire Pharmacies are ready and waiting to support people who smoke to quit, through the free and friendly stop smoking service; Quit Your Way.
Trained pharmacy staff supported hundreds of Lanarkshire residents to quit smoking in 2022, and anyone who is thinking of quitting smoking is welcomed into the service. There they’ll find support to meet the specific needs for each person, including Nicotine Replacement Therapy and personalised quit plans.
Kelly-Ann Atkins, from Motherwell, who quit smoking five weeks ago with support from her local pharmacy, said: “I’ve wanted to quit smoking for years for health reasons and was breathless climbing stairs.
“I quit smoking 10 years ago for eight months but due to stress I started again. Since stopping smoking again, I’ve more money to spend and save, and my anxiety and cravings have also reduced.
“It was really easy to get started, I had an initial visit then came back the next week to start. I had Nicotine Replacement Products prescribed and spoke to the pharmacist weekly.
“I’ve already recommended the service to a friend in work who has started her quit attempt. You get more support than just buying the products and going to see the pharmacist holds you accountable.”
Laila Shah, pharmacy technician at the Motherwell Boots store, who supported Kelly-Ann to quit, commented: “I find it extremely rewarding to help people to quit smoking. When customers come in for advice about quitting smoking I’m happy taking the first step to ask if they would like to be referred to our Quit Your Way service.
“I love helping people so every person’s journey through the stop smoking programme is really worthwhile, especially if they get their 12-week quit certificate at the end. And for those who don’t manage to quit right away, I let them know I’m here for when they’re ready to try again.
“Those who have quit smoking can enjoy a better quality of life and can spend the money they save on cigarettes doing things they enjoy.”
Lorraine Grant, store manager at the Motherwell Boots store, added: “I would encourage anyone who currently smokes to come to their local pharmacy for a quick chat about the help available to them to stop smoking.
“Whether they feel ready to do it now or not, having a bit of background to the programme and what to expect could hopefully take some of those nerves away when the time is right for them to start.
“We genuinely want to see people succeed in their journey to stopping smoking and want to help in any way we can.”
Yvonne Colquhoun, Health Improvement Senior – Quit Your Way Pharmacy Service, NHS Lanarkshire, added: “Community pharmacies continue to do an amazing job to support Lanarkshire residents to quit smoking.
“We understand people who smoke might feel nervous to ask for support, especially if they have tried to quit once or twice before, however local community pharmacies can offer friendly information and advice, as well as ongoing support and free nicotine replacement therapy, which can increase people’s chances of quitting.”
To find out about the pharmacy stop smoking services, find your nearest community pharmacy, visit QuitYourWay.scot. or call the Quit Your way helpline service on 0800 84 84 84 between Monday – Friday from 9am until 5pm.
