Smoking Cessation Services

NHS figures have revealed that quit rates for patients using pharmacy smoking cessation services improved last year, but the sector still has a lower than average success rate compared with other service providers.
Pharmacies helped more than 66,000 people give up smoking in the year between April 2010 and March 2011, making the sector the third largest provider of smoking cessation services in the period, the figures showed.
However, while pharmacy smoking cessation services accounted for 18% of quit dates set by NHS patients last year, the sector recorded a success rate of just 46% - slightly lower than the NHS average of 49%, which included all possible smoking cessation service settings. However, the NHS Information Centre figures represent a rise in the number of successful quits in pharmacy, as just 44% of pharmacy patients quit between April and September 2010.
Hospital wards and prisons, as well as other primary care setting had higher quit rates, at 49%, 55% and 53% respectively. The NHS average was 49%.