Smokers flock to NHS quit service
19th August 2010
A record number of smokers have signed up to a free NHS service to help them kick the habit for good, benefiting their health, their bank balance and reducing their life insurance premiums into the bargain.
In the first quarter of 2010, 13% more smokers -757,537 - set a quit date through NHS Stop Smoking Services compared with the same three months of 2009.
Of these, some 373,954 were successful in kicking the habit for good after four weeks, an 11% rise on the previous year.
While the health benefits of quitting smoking are well documented, the move can also have a positive effect on a smoker's finances, cutting spending and life insurance costs.
An on-site stop smoking programme set up by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and local primary care trusts to help both staff and patients quit has proved a success, with 53% of employees who have taken part in the scheme quitting, matched by a similar number of patients.
The programme involves hospital staff being shown the role of smoking in the diseases they treat, and the short and long-term effects on their patients. They then take this specific knowledge and hold a 30-second "mini intervention" with their patients to highlight the issues.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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