Solutions 4 Health have been commissioned by Camden and Islington Councils to offer local smokers a diverse range of support to quit smoking. The new BREATHE service will be available to smokers from Monday 18th September.
To kick start their service, BREATHE have planned some exciting events for local people to come and meet their friendly advisors and speak to the Stop Smoking Advisers, to find out more about the services available to them. The launches will coincide with the Stoptober campaign which is the perfect time to quit, when so many others are also taking up the challenge and there is a sense of togetherness.
The launch events will take place on Thursday 28th September from 11:00 – 17:00 in Kentish Town High Street, Camden and Friday 29th September 11:00 – 17:00 at Nags Head Shopping Centre, Islington where there will be a range of entertainment including a face painter for children.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of death in Camden and Islington, claiming up to 574 lives each year per 100,000 residents and there were 4,120 smoking related hospital admissions per 100,000 (PHE, 2015). Smoking related illnesses can be prevented and evidence suggests that people are 4 times more likely to give up smoking with support from a specialist advisor.
The new service will cater to the needs of the local population by offering out of hours support for people who work and accessible clinics in local community settings, including community centres, leisure centres and GP surgeries. Smokers will have the option of attending group sessions combining quitting with fitness activities, receiving support via the BREATHE online platform or traditional one to one sessions with an advisor.
The service will provide a tiered system for supporting clients in their quit attempt whilst ensuring flexibility to meet the needs of service users and their preferences. Service users will be able to move through the tiers until they find the level of support that enables them to quit for good.
Leena Sankla, Director of Public Health & Lifestyle Services, Solutions 4 Health Ltd said “We are pleased to be the new provider of the BREATHE stop smoking service for Camden & Islington. We are keen to give smokers the best possible chance of quitting smoking which is why we offer so many different methods of support. BREATHE will make it easier for people to access stop smoking services in the region with tailored support available through their GP, pharmacy, local community venues and dedicated mobile outreach vehicle. I would strongly encourage anyone who is looking to quit to come along to our launch events where they will be able to find out more about the stop smoking and healthy lifestyle services available to them.”
For more information on the BREATHE stop smoking service or to sign up, call 020 3633 2609 or text QUIT to 66777. Visit www.breathestopsmoking.org for more information.
