Published at 30 August, 2023 11:44.
500 South Yorkshire residents successfully quit smoking through the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme.
The Targeted Lung Health Check Programme started in Doncaster in 2021, making its way across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw until March 2024.
Any resident aged between 55 and 74 who has ever smoked and is registered with a GP will receive a letter inviting them to have a free NHS lung health check.
As part of the lung health check, current smokers will be asked if they would like support to help stop smoking. And the Programme reached a fantastic milestone recently – 500 people have given up smoking with the help of our smoking cessation partner organisations.
Dr Jason Page, Clinical Director of the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw, said: “This is a remarkable milestone to have achieved, and everyone should be very proud of themselves.
“The risks of smoking are widely known, but it is an addiction, and it’s not always easy to quit.
“The cessation statistics speak for themselves, though: 257 in Doncaster, 123 in Bassetlaw, 72 so far in Rotherham, and 61 so far in Barnsley! The Programme is halfway through Rotherham and Barnsley, so we look forward to seeing these numbers increase.”
Current smokers are offered support to quit with Yorkshire Smokefree Barnsley (YSB) for patients based in Barnsley. Vernon and Elaine are just two success stories referred to YSB through the Targeted Lung Health Check Programme, and both agree they wished they had never started smoking at all.
Vernon said: “I had thought about stopping smoking before I was invited for my lung health check; my wife would keep saying I needed to stop as I was the only one in my family that did.
“I would tell my younger self not to start smoking at all. My dad smoked but didn’t want my siblings or me to smoke – I should have listened to him.”
Elaine added: “I’d never thought about stopping before, but I was thinking about my grandkids and was determined to stop.
“I can feel a difference in my health, and of course, I’m saving money. I’m breathing more easily, not coughing as much, and food tastes better.
“I used patches and an Inhalator offered by YSB, and they helped. I have a lot more energy now to play with my grandchildren.
“I wish I hadn’t started smoking in the 70s. Everyone was doing it, though, and you followed the crowd. If I could go back, I’d say not to start.”
For more information on the Targeted Lung Health Checks, visit www.lunghealthchecks.co.uk, and for smoking cessation services, visit www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/
