Yorkshire Smokefree celebrates 10 years of the smoking ban
A decade on from the UK ban on smoking in public places, Yorkshire Smokefree is celebrating almost 145,000 quits across South and West Yorkshire since the service began in 2007.
According to figures from the Department of Health, 144,829 people have quit in the seven districts served by Smokefree between April 2007 and December 2016. The service, part of South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust currently operates in Barnsley, Calderdale, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield. Stop smoking services are commissioned by local authorities in each area. Until recently the Trust also provided services in Kirklees.
As the ban turns 10 years old on Saturday 1 July, smokers in Barnsley will have even more opportunities to get help to quit as Yorkshire Smokefree launches its market stall in the town.
The stall, which will be officially opened by the Mayor of Barnsley, Cllr Jeff Ennis, will offer support from experts to local people looking to kick the habit.
As well as helping local people, the stall will also be supporting other market stall holders to quit smoking. On the day, traders will be signing up to the ‘market stall challenge’ and binning their cigarettes to mark the start of their quit journeys.
The move to Barnsley market follows best practice from Yorkshire Smokefree’s Sheffield team. In the city, the team’s move to Sheffield’s Moor Market reduced costs and helped more people to stop smoking. Following the changes in Sheffield the team was a finalist in the ‘improving value through innovative financial management or procurement’ category in the HSJ (Health Service Journal) Value in Healthcare awards.
Simon Lister, service manager, said: “Yorkshire Smokefree offers a range of support to help you quit, your way. Support available includes face to face advice in convenient locations, telephone support on hand through extended opening hours, and a quit programme available online 24/7.”
To find out more about Yorkshire Smokefree, visit www.yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk or call 0800 6120011 (free from landlines) or 0330 6601166 (free from most mobiles).
Ends