Smoking is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the UK with more than 120,000 people dying each year as a direct result of smoking.
- 21% of the UK population smoke
- 66% of smokers want to quit and half of these are ready to quit
Smoking cessation pilot schemes have shown that when a patient is offered support quit rates rise to around 20% on average, compared to around 2-3% success rate without support.
Community pharmacists are ideally placed to support patients with a smoking cessation service and provide nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and if appropriate supply of varenicline (Champix) or bupropion (Zyban) via a PGD.
Order your PGDs from Pharmadoctor
Why offer this service?
- Improve sales of OTC smoking cessation products.
- Increase adherence to prescription smoking cessation medication.
- Build customer loyalty.
- Create an additional revenue stream.
Setting up your smoking cessation service
Smoking cessation implementation checklistWe provide a number of downloadable resources to help you set up your service including:
- Stop smoking - health promotion briefing sheet
- Staff competency checklist
- SOP
- Patient enrolment and monitoring form
- Personal health guide and smoking diary
- Consultation structure guide
- Patient record form
- Dependence questionnaire
- Patient satisfaction survey
- Template certificate
- GP implementation letter
- GP letter - Varenicline initial request
- GP letter - Varenicline ongoing request
- GP letter - Varenicline via PGD
Also available to order FREE of charge :
* subject to availability
How do I start?
1. Check the PSNC Services Database - your CCG may commission your smoking cessation service.
2. Talk to your local GPs:
Tell them you are going to start a smoking cessation service.
Remember, they can refer patients to your service.
3. Encourage your counter staff to talk to customers and recommend the service.