THE NHS in Wales has launched its ‘Help Me Quit’ scheme bringing together dozens of pharmacists, hospital workers, midwives and dedicated stop smoking experts to help would-be quitters.

In the Cardiff and Vale health board area, more than 60,000 people smoke and there is a team of people who work to help those who want to quit smoking.

One of them is Helen Poole, who is part of the University Health Board’s in-house hospital team of stop smoking experts and is based at the University Hospital Wales.

She said: “I want to be able to help and support people, and empower them to realise that they can survive and thrive in a life without tobacco.

“A great example of someone taking back their life from cigarettes is a man who was referred to me with diabetes and circulation problems. He was in his 60s and had been smoking for the majority of his life. As a result, the circulation in one of his legs had deteriorated so much that his consultant decided that he’d have to have the leg amputated.

“The surgery was scheduled six months down the line so he was referred to me to help him quit smoking so that his recovery would be better. He wasn’t happy about having to give up smoking but he agreed to give it a go.

“At every appointment, he told me how much he missed smoking but he managed to stay strong and didn’t have another cigarette. At his next appointment with his consultant, he was told that his circulation had improved so much that he didn’t even need the surgery anymore. The only thing he changed during that six months was quitting smoking.

“Another very touching moment for me was a grandmother with major circulation problems. Whenever she and her family went on holiday, she had to be taken around in a wheelchair. When her grandchildren would play on the beach, she was forced to watch from the promenade.

“She was referred to me and told me that she was so depressed, feeling unable to do anything. She managed to quit smoking and 10 weeks later, she and her family went on holiday again.

“For the first time in years she not only managed to go for a walk on the beach but also had a kick about with the kids.”

Another expert is Frances Ottewill, a dedicated stop smoking expert for Stop Smoking Wales, working across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff.

She said: “I work as part of a team of stop smoking experts across Wales but I’m based in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. I work out of many different locations like GP surgeries, community centres, and even in businesses so I travel around the area a lot and so do my colleagues.

“We offer seven weekly sessions of support and talk about everything from how to deal with stress without cigarettes to how to enjoy a smoke-free night out. Also, we give people access to free stop smoking medication to really help them beat their cravings. We can offer people support over the phone, in a one-to-one appointment, or the option to quit in a group alongside other smokers.

“People who have never smoked probably don’t understand what giving up smoking can entail and how difficult it can be. That’s why I really love doing the group sessions.”

NHS stop smoking support can be found across all of Wales in GP surgeries, hospitals and pharmacies. Call 0800 085 2219 or visit helpmequit.wales