Cessation Services in Wales
NHS Stop Smoking Services
Help Me Quit is the single brand for NHS stop smoking services in Wales. Smokers can access the service online, by telephone or through their GP or local pharmacy.
Considering all these avenues to NHS smoking cessation services, only 3.11% of smokers in Wales accessed services in 2017/18, falling well below the Wales Tobacco Control Action Plan target of 5%.
- On average 43% of those who were supported successfully quit (4-week validation)
Smokers accessing cessation services
| Health Board | % quit attempt | % successfully quit after 4 weeks (CO validated) |
|---|---|---|
| Abertawe Bro-Morganwg UHN | 2.56% | 54.82% |
| Aneurin Bevan UHB | 3.49% | 40.13% |
| Betsi Cadwaladr UHB | 3.79% | 32.36% |
| Cardiff & Vale | 1.67% | 60.28% |
| Cwm Taf UHB | 4.61% | 36.90% |
| Hywel Dda UHB | 2.67% | 55.63% |
| Powys | 2.16% | 44.37% |
| Wales | 3.11% | 43.04% |
Community Pharmacy
Smoking cessation services are available from pharmacies across Wales. According to Community Pharmacy Wales, research has shown that an estimated 99.8% of people from the most deprived areas live within a 20-minute walk of a community pharmacy and one third of men aged between 16 and 54 visit a pharmacy at least once a month. Smokers pass through pharmacies on a daily basis providing pharmacists with the ideal opportunity to start conversations about smoking.
There are over 700 community pharmacies across Wales however there is variation across health boards in terms of the level of smoking cessation support on offer.
Morbidity / mortality
Over the period 2013-15, an average of 5,388 smoking attributable deaths and 26,489 smoking attributable hospital admissions a year occurred in Wales.
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