Stub out cigarettes for good with Hackney’s new stop smoking service
A new stop smoking service has been launched in Hackney, giving a boost to smokers hoping to quit this year.
The service, funded by Hackney Council, sees specialist stop smoking advisers running clinics in venues across the borough, including eight GP surgeries, more than 40 pharmacies, libraries, shopping centres and supermarkets. The advisers offer free, confidential support as well as free stop smoking treatments, such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy or Champix, on prescription for 12 weeks.
Smokers can also get support from specialist advisers in the evenings and on Sundays, making the service more accessible to those who work 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Specialist stop smoking support is also available from bilingual advisers who offer stop smoking support in different languages, as well as services for young people and at Homerton University Hospital for pregnant women and patients.
“Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death in Hackney so it’s crucial that smokers are given every opportunity and encouragement to quit. Hackney’s new service gives smokers free, high quality support at convenient times and locations. You are four times more likely to quit when you use a stop smoking service, rather than go it alone, so I urge smokers to contact our service today.”
Hackney resident Robson Barreto, aged 33, quit with the help of the stop smoking service at The Lawson GP practice. He said: “After 15 years of smoking I got to a stage when I couldn't see myself without a cigarette. For obvious reasons such as increasing quality of life and saving money, I tried to quit several times but without much success. So at the end of 2014, I looked for help with the new stop smoking service in Hackney. I had incredible support from my health adviser in how to cope with this big change and since then my regular visits have encouraged me to keep myself clear. Along with that, the medication is very effective. I even quit before the date I had planned for. I am also encouraging my friends to quit. It is possible to quit without suffering.”
Contact the service today on 0800 046 9946 or 020 3316 1085, email smokefreehackney@nhs.net or visit the Smokefree Hackney website. You can also get the latest news via Twitter @SmokefreeHckny