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Ossett Pharmacy No Smoking Week success

22.03.10

 

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

The pharmacy, which established the service in January 2010, has been significantly adding to the number of patients taking up support, which was helped through the promotion of the National No Smoking Day on 10 March. The team of three qualified smoking cessation advisors, who have seen the popularity of the service grow in recent weeks, now see new clients almost every day.

The new scheme forms part of a wide range of healthy living services available to patients at the pharmacy  and 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 eligible patients are  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 NRT, by which time the patient has officially quit and receives a certificate. Support is available for up to four weeks afterwards to keep the quitter on track.

All participants in the Ossett scheme who are eligible for free prescriptions are given NRT free of charge, which are available immediately after the second stage.

Laura Sheard, qualified smoking cessation advisor at MedicX 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 should make use of. We look forward to helping all our new patients and anyone else who wants to come and sign up for our smoking cessation service."

Steve Jeffers, Director of MedicX Pharmacy, comments:

"The Ossett 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 at MedicX Pharmacy Ossett."

National No Smoking Week Display

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