Working for a tobacco-free Scotland
13 September 2010
New smoking cessation guidance for Scotland produced by NHS Health Scotland and ASH Scotland has been published today. A Guide to Smoking Cessation in Scotland 2010 is a robust, evidence-based compendium of all smoking cessation guidance and recommendations derived from NICE and from previous Scottish guidelines. It also includes suggestions for good practice.
Comprising two main parts, the guide covers how to deliver interventions, pharmacotherapy, monitoring and training. Helping smokers to stop is aimed primarily at healthcare practitioners, and includes an accompanying desktop Brief interventions flowchart. Planning and providing specialist smoking cessation services is for providers and commissioners of intensive smoking cessation support, including those involved in the national pharmacy scheme.
Dr Laurence Gruer, Director of Public Health Science at NHS Health Scotland said:
"The best and latest available evidence is synthesised into this one publication. It recognises that all healthcare professionals have a role to play in helping people to quit by providing support and referring them to specialist smoking cessation services.
"We know smokers' chances of succeeding in stopping and staying stopped are greatly increased by proper use of nicotine replacement therapy and certain other proven drug treatments, combined with intensive personal support and advice. This is what the specialist smoking cessation services offer."
Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, Sheila Duffy, added:
"Smoking remains the largest preventable cause of death and disease in Scotland today. Fortunately, for those who want to kick the habit, help is at hand through our national network of stop smoking services available free through the NHS. These services offer help and support for all smokers who are ready to quit, and give them the best possible chance of staying smoke-free.
"This updated resource summarises the highest quality research on smoking cessation and is targeted not only at healthcare and smoking cessation professionals, but also workers in the community and voluntary sector who can signpost would-be quitters to services that will help them stay tobacco-free. Smoking is still a huge issue in Scotland, and a wide range of people should be involved in helping smokers to choose a more healthy future."
The guidance has been endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in Scotland.
Dr John Bery of the Royal College of GPs in Scotland said:
"This publication recognises that GPs are integral to smoking cessation not only in providing support and encouraging and generating quit attempts which in themselves may be successful, but also in referring on to smoking cessation services where the chance of these quit attempts being successful and remaining so are greatly increased."
The new guide replaces the Smoking Cessation Guidelines for Scotland 2004 update and 2007 supplement and Encouraging Smokers to Stop publication.
Action on Smoking & Health (Scotland) (ASH Scotland) is a registered Scottish charity (SC 010412) and a company limited by guarantee(Scottish company no 141711). The registered office is 8 Frederick Street, Edinburgh EH2 2HB.
© 2012 ASH Scotland
ASH Scotland acknowledges with thanks the support of the British Heart Foundation and the Scottish Government in developing our website.
