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Rotherham Pharmacy No Smoking Week success

23.03.10

MedicX pharmacy Rotherham is celebrating the success of its new smoking cessation service following last week's national No Smoking Day.

The pharmacy, which only established the service on 1 February 2010, significantly added to its 14 current participants in the latest scheme, by signing up new patients throughout the week. The team of three qualified smoking cessation advisors also celebrated the completion of the programme by their first patient.

The new scheme is made up of several stages designed to support the patient throughout the process. The first stage comprises a health check and carbon monoxide reading followed by second session in which the patient is given vouchers to receive free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Meetings are then scheduled for four weeks to monitor progress, take further carbon monoxide readings and provide more vouchers for free NRT, by which time the patient has officially quit and receives a certificate. Support is available for up to three weeks afterwards to keep the quitter on track.

All participants in the Rotherham scheme are given NRT free of charge, even if they normally pay for their prescriptions.

Linda Downing, qualified smoking cessation advisor at Rotherham Pharmacy, comments:

"We were delighted so many people signed up last week in response to No Smoking Day. The new programme here is fantastic, which anyone in the area trying to quit smoking should make use of. We look forward to helping all our new patients and anyone else who wants to come and sign up to this private and confidential service."

Steve Jeffers, Director of MedicX Pharmacy, comments:

"Our Rotherham team have done a great job in getting so many people signed up to the programme in such a short time This really emphasises the community service  that is at the centre of all our pharmacies and is a good example of the additional pharmacy services that are available from MedicX Pharmacy Rotherham."

Linda Downing, Smoking Cessation Advisor

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