Make a pledge to quit smoking this Stoptober

Setting a date to quit smoking is one of the best things you can do for both your physical and mental health and with the risks of respiratory infections posed by Covid-19, it has never been more important than now. People who quit smoking for 28 days are five more times likely to quit for good.

Across the UK, the proportion of people who have successfully quit smoking this year is the highest it’s been for more than a decade and the Quit Squad are offering their support during Stoptober to help this upward trend continue.

Between January and March this year, the service supported 809 smokers to successfully quit, improving their health and wealth.

Tracey Sutton, the Quit Squad manager said: “Quit Squad wants to help as many people as possible to stop smoking for good. The service offers specialist support to stop smoking and advice on medication, which is available free to those on benefits or is the cost of a prescription. There is also additional 24/7 online support for people in Lancashire from the My Quit Route app which is free to download on IOS and android.

Quit Squad offers free advice and support to help people start their journey to quitting for good and is available to anyone across the Lancashire region, over the age of 12.

The Stoptober campaign aims to encourage smokers to quit for October and beyond. This year the campaign has partnered with the NHS Better Health campaign, which offers support to quit smoking, get active, and lose weight.

Quit Squad now offers a self-referral option through their website for those wanting to access the service. To contact the team please call 0800 328 6297 or visit https://www.quitsquad.nhs.uk/

To find out more about the Stoptober campaign, visit https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/quit-smoking/stoptober/