SMOKERS in Staffordshire are being encouraged to seek out support to help them kick the habit.
Everyone Health Staffordshire offers advice and practical aids to help people quit.
The group is hoping the national Stoptober campaign taking place in October will see more residents reach out for help to give up smoking.
Everyone Health Staffordshire offers 12 weeks of one-to-one telephone support and face-to-face appointments to support people. The service is free and also provides access to nicotine replacement aids such as patches, gum and inhalators.
Paul Northcott, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet support member for public health, said:
“Smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England.
“Treating smoking-related diseases also costs the NHS in England around £1.9billion per year, so helping people to quit smoking remains a priority for the county council.
“We always support Stoptober which gives people a great opportunity to quit smoking. It’s also worth noting that if you quit for the month, you are five times more likely to quit for good. I would encourage people to get in touch with the service.”
People interested in quitting can find out more about the support available from the Everyone Health Staffordshire website or text QUIT to 60777.
Kim Yeung, from Everyone Health Staffordshire, said:
“With funding from the council, we’re able to deliver this really successful programme and introduce more quitting aids.
“We can offer advice on managing cravings and provide free nicotine replacement medication as well as Cytisine, which helps people quit smoking by mimicking the effects of nicotine.
“This is all part of our service, designed to help Staffordshire residents quit for good.”
