Scottish pharmacies to highlight new countrywide stop-smoking brand

A poster highlighting the new Scotland-wide smoking cessation brand Quit Your Way is due to go on display in every Scottish community pharmacy.

The brand ‘Quit Your Way — with our support’ was created after research by national health board NHS Health Scotland found that having a single identity for smoking cessation services across the country could improve user uptake.

Community Pharmacy Scotland policy and development pharmacist Adam Osprey said he believed a single brand would help users find all Scottish NHS smoking cessation services more quickly, regardless of how or where they are provided.

He said: “We know that support to quit smoking gives you double the chance than if you go it alone. The consultation carried out last year chose this branding as it was felt that putting the service user in charge of quitting will bring people into services.”

All health boards are set to take on the branding for their smoking cessation services, including pharmacy-based services, groups and one-to-one support, by this year’s Stop Smoking Day on 15 March.

All internet enquiries will direct users to a Quit Your Way website run by NHS 24.

Smokeline rebrand

The Scottish stop smoking helpline Smokeline has already rebranded as Quit Your Way Scotland. Run by NHS 24 it is available on the phone or through webchat.

The Scottish government has made having a ‘smoke-free generation’, with smoking rates of just 5%, by 2034 a key policy pledge.

Scottish public health minister Aileen Campbell said: “Stopping smoking is one of the most important steps a person can take to improve their health and this is a real team effort towards our ambition.”

Public Health England figures from 2017 revealed that fewer smokers were using commissioned NHS services to set a quit date and to stop smoking for four weeks.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said at the time that pharmacy-run smoking cessation services had been the most affected of all commissioned community pharmacy services due to public health financial restrictions.