Stop smoking service celebrates 10 year anniversary

MORE than 12,000 smokers have quit in the past decade, a Buckinghamshire organisation has said, as it celebrates its ten year anniversary.
The NHS Stop Smoking Services said it has helped 12,070 people give up cigarettes.
The service estimates that over 70,000 lives have been saved through its work in the last decade.
During this period smoking prevalence among the general population has dropped from 28 per cent to below 21 per cent.
Joanne Wilson, Public Health Practitioner, said: “In Buckinghamshire, we have achieved a major reduction in the prevalence of smoking, and the Buckinghamshire Smokefree Support Service continues to support around 2,000 smokers a year to successfully give up.
“Stopping smoking is without question the single biggest decision that anyone can make to improve their health.
“The creation of free NHS Stop Smoking Services in 1999 was a hugely significant milestone in helping people achieve this goal. She added: “It is vital that we continue to make smokers aware just how easy and convenient it is to access support in their own neighbourhood.”