Free support for Warwickshire workers who want to stop smoking

Employers in Coventry and Warwickshire have been urged encourage their staff to take advantage of the available support and make a positive, healthy change to their lives by stopping smoking.

Stop smoking support is now available to anyone who works in Coventry or Warwickshire, regardless of whether they live in the area as Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council call on smokers to quit for Stoptober.

Both councils are supporting Stoptober following the launch of the new Smoke Free website, funded by the UK Government, to help people across Coventry and Warwickshire quit smoking. It provides details of local free, confidential stop smoking services, as well as resources and information about smoking and vaping.

Local smokers are encouraged to join the 2.5 million others in England who have made a quit attempt with the campaign previously.

Smoking causes 64,000 deaths a year, making it still the biggest cause of preventable illness and death. Despite this, an estimated 18.4% of people aged 18+ in Coventry and 13.9% in Warwickshire smoke. In Warwickshire, this varies across the district and boroughs.  (Source: Annual Population Survey, Office for National Statistics, 2022).

People aged 12+ who live, work, or are registered with a GP in Warwickshire are entitled to free support. Smokers who sign up to their local stop smoking service get access to the following:

• 12 weeks of one-to-one support (face-to-face or virtual) with a specialist stop smoking practitioner
• Help to manage cravings and withdrawal symptoms
• Free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products or Vape Quit Kits (18+ only)
• Access to a Smoke Free App

Stoptober also offers a range of free quitting tools including the NHS Quit Smoking app, daily email support, Facebook support group and information about quitting smoking with a vape. People can search ‘Stoptober’ to find out more.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, so employees can make use of the new stop smoking website to access local, free support to guide them on their quitting journey. To get local support and quit smoking this Stoptober, visit www.smokefreecw.co.uk