New NHS helpline giving smokers advice on how to quit
A HELPLINE has been set up for smokers in Derbyshire looking to quit.
The Quit Line will be staffed by advisers from the county's NHS Stop Smoking Service and is free and confidential for people to use.
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The aim of the helpline is to offer smokers keen to quit an alternative to attending a clinic.
The aim is to offer smokers keen to quit an alternative to attending a clinic, with callers receiving tips and support to get them through "difficult days" – or assist them to get hold of products that can help them stop smoking.
Tina Jones, tobacco control programme manager at Derbyshire Community Health Services trust – which is running the helpline – said: "Many people who smoke would like to stop but find it hard to take the first step.
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"We all lead busy lives and sometimes it can be difficult to commit to attending a weekly visit at a stop-smoking clinic.
"That's why the new Quit Line offers easy access to a Stop Smoking adviser through a telephone landline or mobile phone – at a time which is convenient to the smoker – with continued support over the phone for up to 12 weeks."
She said that more than 5,000 people in Derbyshire stopped smoking last year with the help of the Stop Smoking Service and, this year, it was hoped the new Quit Line would see this figure increase.
She added: "The health benefits of quitting smoking are well documented – it reduces the risk of serious diseases, such as lung cancer and heart disease, and also protects other members of the family from second-hand smoke.
"People are four times more likely to stop smoking with help from an NHS Stop Smoking Service and this line really widens the service to people we may not have been able to help before.
"I expect the Quit Line to appeal to people who work shifts, busy parents and people who find it difficult to travel to a clinic, but it's available to anyone who wants to give it a try."
For more information about the Stop Smoking Service or the helpline, contact 0800 0852299.
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