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Stop Smoking Services | Healthcare | Articles
NHS Camquit posted on 1 August 2011
Anyone who smokes or has ever been a smoker knows just how hard it is to stop. Many smokers try to give up and find it incredibly difficult to stay smoke free. On average it takes a smoker seven attempts to give up successfully, making it an incredibly difficult and de-motivating process.
NHS Camquit is a friendly and non-judgmental support service from an accredited stop smoking advisor, available to anyone who wants to stop smoking in Cambridgeshire. Your first session will usually last about 20-30 minutes, followed by approximately three to five follow up sessions, each lasting around 10-15 minutes in duration, to help keep you focused and on track.
NHS Camquit also provides you with advice about Stop Smoking Medication, to help you along your stop smoking journey and a telephone counseling call back service that is open from 09:00 to 20:00 - Monday to Friday and 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Their dedicated telephone counselors will support you over the phone and by email for up to six weeks, they will arrange a time that is convenient for you and also provide you with a voucher to collect stop smoking medication at a pharmacist that is convenient for you.
NHS Camquit has trained many staff within Cambridgeshire's general practices. It may be your GP, a practice nurse or a healthcare assistant who is qualified to support you to stop smoking.
You can contact your practice directly or phone 0800 018 4304 for more information.
Many pharmacies across Cambridgeshire also provide a dedicated stop smoking service. NHS Camquit train a variety of staff within pharmacies to provide you with support - pharmacies offer extended opening hours allowing you to easily fit in 15 minutes of counseling when you pick up your stop smoking support medicines. Your stop smoking specialist and your GP will be able to advise you on the best medication for you.
Kick Ash is an award-winning programme led by young people to reduce smoking in the under-16s across Cambridgeshire.
Kick Ash aims to encourage all young people to be proud to be smoke-free, to discourage young people from starting to smoke, to provide a suitable stop smoking service to support young people to stop smoking and to reduce underage tobacco sales.
The Kick Ash programme recruits year 10 mentors from each school it visits, who are involved in developing and leading sessions in the year 5/6 feeder primary schools - participating in business visits and test purchasing with the trading standards team, developing a suitable stop smoking service for their school with the support of NHS Camquit, developing marketing and communications in their community - including a launch event and participating in a variety of skills workshops including level 1 smoking cessation, listening skills and media.
Young people are supported by NHS Cambridgeshire's Public Health team and stop smoking team (NHS Camquit), and Cambridgeshire County Council's PSHE team and Trading Standards and Communications Team.
The programme will visit ten schools around Cambridgeshire over a three-year period, encouraging young people to explore the truth about smoking and tackle tobacco use.
If you want to stop smoking and would like to receive more information on NHS Camquit and Kick Ash services please refer to the NHS Camquit website or call Ellen Nicholson on 01223 725347.
Contact: Ellen Nicholson
Email: ellen.nicholson@cambridgeshire.nhs.uk
Tel: 01223 725347
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