Dumfries and Galloway is leading the way in getting people to stop smoking.
Between January and March last year, 246 people across the region living in areas of inequality were still not smoking 12 weeks after reporting they had given up.
That smashed a Scottish Government target of 161 people, with NHS Dumfries and Galloway achieving 153 per cent of its target.
That was well clear of the second best performing health board – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde achieved 114 per cent – and considerably ahead of the Scottish average of 85 per cent.
Interim service manager of the region’s Quit Your Way stop smoking service, Abbie Robertson, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with the progress that we’ve seen around supporting people to quit smoking in areas where health and social inequality is felt most.
“This is a target for which responsibility jointly sits between Quit Your Way and community pharmacies.
“I want to pay the highest credit to all those involved in supporting this key health objective – within the Quit Your Way as the specialist smoking cessation service but also the community pharmacy teams across our region, who are undertaking this work in what I appreciate is a highly pressured time for them all.”
She added: “A big thank you to all who refer into the service and in particular our fantastic midwife teams who work in partnership with us to make sure that all pregnant smokers or those exposed to second hand smoke are referred via our joint pathway for support.
“The Quit Your Way team know how hard they work and have continued to work throughout the pandemic.
“We have been very lucky to have continued with virtual smoking cessation support and we are grateful for this opportunity but the team have done an amazing job of spending time counselling people over the phone who would sometimes have had no one else.
“Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable death, disability, ill-health and social inequality and there is argument that this was felt even more so during the pandemic.
“Treating tobacco addiction is one of the most cost-effective and life-saving interventions provided by the NHS and I am so proud of our small team for excelling in this.”
Anyone who wants to stop smoking and feels they would benefit from support can contact Quit Your Way by calling 0845 602 6861 or 07736 955 211 or by emailing. dg.quityourway@nhs.scot.
The service can also be found on Facebook.
People can also ask any health or social care professional to refer them to Quit Your Way.
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