Worcestershire urged to go ‘smoke free’ this March
This No Smoking Day (13th March), family members across Worcestershire are encouraged to access free expert support to stop smoking.
Smoke Free Homes Service is dedicated to helping people quit smoking. It’s available to mums, dads, carers, in fact anyone who lives with a child under the age of three in Worcestershire.
Each year, over 17,000 children are admitted to hospital due to the effects of second-hand smoke and the best thing you can do to protect you and your family is to quit smoking.
You don’t have to give up alone. This friendly service will help with f ree Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), 1:1 support with a trained advisor to help you quit and stay on track and joint family support sessions.
Now in additional to free NRT, adults over the age of 18 will be able to gain access to rechargeable vapes to support quitting smoking and staying smoke free through the Government’s Swap to Stop scheme .
Smoke Free Homes is part of the Starting Well Partnership which provides support to parents, families, children, and young people to live happy, healthy, and fulfilled lives across Worcestershire. The partnership works alongside lots of local organisations and community groups including schools and GP surgeries. Identifying and addressing health and wellbeing needs, by empowering families and young people to access support networks and groups in the local community.
Deb Lindsay, Clinical Operations Manager for Starting Well Partnership said : “It’s fantastic we are now able to offer vapes to over 18s, as an alternative to traditional NRT methods in supporting family members with young children who want to stop smoking. The effects of second-hand smoking on babies and children can be really serious and we hope offering vapes will help many more homes to become ‘smoke free’.”
Parents can sign up for the new service by emailing: Whcnhs.smokefreehomes@nhs.net to get an appointment. You can also find out more on the Starting Well Partnership website.