NHS Lanarkshire’s tobacco control team are delighted to have exceeded their target of 100 signatories to Scotland’s Charter for a tobacco-free generation, an initiative created by ASH Scotland to help reduce the harm caused by smoking and deliver a tobacco-free generation by 2034.
The charters aims are to:
- Support communities to improve people’s health and wellbeing by addressing smoking.
- Inspire organisations to take action to reduce the harm caused by smoking and/or second-hand smoke in their communities.
- Raise awareness and contribute to the goal of creating a tobacco-free generation of Scots by 2034.
Mags Sim, Health Improvement Senior for NHS Lanarkshire tobacco control team, said: “To everyone who helped the team achieve this and promote ASH Scotland’s Charter, along with the signatories who have pledged to support the Charter, such as North Lanarkshire Disability Forum, North Lanarkshire Recovery Community, Blantyre Life & The Beacons. Thank you for participating and encouraging Lanarkshire towards a tobacco free generation.”
Lorraine Van Beuge, Development Manager, North Lanarkshire Disability Forum stated: “Signing the ASH Charter is a really important step in helping us create and develop more robust policies to support and protect staff and others we help with smoking issues. Through our work with Macmillan Improving Cancer Journey and our own projects we often meet people in their home and in the community, we now feel more confident in signposting them to relevant and up to date information about the associated risks and supports available in their communities”.
Beverly Scheepers and Beth Rose from Ash Scotland said: “Thanks to Mags, the Health Improvement Team, and the Charter Champions who have done such an amazing job of promoting ASH Scotland’s Charter for a tobacco-free generation. In this past year, 25 of the 35 new charter signatories were from Lanarkshire, and over the years (since 2015) Lanarkshire based organisations make up 20% of all signatories, thanks in large to the Lanarkshire Health Improvement Team.”
As part of the aim to create a tobacco free generation, NHS Lanarkshire’s Quit Your Way service offers 12-weeks of free support to quit smoking, as well as delivering nicotine replacement products, to all Lanarkshire residents, including patients and NHS Lanarkshire staff.
Any health professional can refer patients in hospital to NHS Lanarkshire Quit Your Way Service, or to the local Quit Your Way helpline by calling 01698 754 888. If you’re unable to call, please complete the short referral form and email it to us (email found on the form).
Patients can be supplied Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) whilst staying in hospital to manage nicotine withdrawals. Find out more on our Acute Referrers page on FirstPort.
Self-Refer to Quit Your Way
To contact the Quit Your Way service use our ‘Click to be Contacted’ service or call Quit Your Way on 0800 84 84 84 between Monday and Friday from 9am until 5pm or visit QuitYourWay.scot.
