Twelve weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products are available. Products within this may vary between services, but may include products such as nicotine patches, inhalators, gum and spray. Also available are refillable e-cigarettes (vapes).

One to one support with a dedicated stop smoking advisor is available to all who sign up for the programme.

Alternatively, the NENC ICS have also commissioned the Smokefree app to provide more flexible support for people attempting to quit smoking. NCSCT-certified advisors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide advice or support, boost motivation, offer words of encouragement, or encourage continued abstinence at times of temptation.

The app is available by going to www.getmesmokefree.com on a mobile device and entering a North East or North Cumbria postcode when prompted. This will unlock premium access for a limited period that would usually cost you around £90. Smokefree app resources can be made available upon request.

An e-cigarette is a device that allows you to inhale nicotine in a vapour rather than smoke. E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco smoke. They work by heating a liquid that typically contains nicotine, propylene glycol and/or vegetable glycerine, and flavourings.

In the UK, e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality. They’re not completely risk free, but they carry a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes. The liquid and vapour contain some potentially harmful chemicals also found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels.

Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There’s growing evidence that they can be effective. A major UK clinical trial published in 2019 found that, when combined with expert face-to-face support, people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were twice as likely to succeed as people who used other nicotine replacement products, such as patches or gum.

Yes. The staff offer is intended for any staff that work on Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust sites. This can include those people who are employed by subsidiary companies such as security, estates staff, QE Facilities colleagues, porters etc.

The North East and North Cumbria ICS has agreed to provide this service to all Foundation Trust staff within the region, meaning colleagues from Gateshead (and throughout the region) can access this service free of charge.

For contact relating to support to quit, please contact QE Facilities Outpatient Pharmacy via email on ghnt.qef-stopsmokingservice@nhs.net or by calling 0191 445 8144. You can also get in touch with the Staff Tobacco Dependency Offer Project Manager Caitlin Barry on Caitlin.barry1@nhs.net.