Smoking Cessation: COVID-19
Community Pharmacy Smoking Cessation service during COVID-19
Key messages:
- Supporting people to stop smoking is now more of a public health priority than ever
- Community pharmacy smoking cessation services (Quit Your Way) remain available
- Temporary flexibility in service delivery may be applied in line with Scottish Government advice
With emerging evidence suggesting that smokers who contract COVID-19 have significantly worse outcomes vs. non-smokers, supporting people to stop smoking is now more of a public health priority than ever. NHS Circular: PCA(P)(2020)9 describes some temporary flexibility in service provision.
Temporary changes to the service include:
- No requirement for "week zero” in some cases
- Carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring is temporarily suspended; record as ‘unable to perform reading’ from drop down list
- At pharmacists’ discretion, behavioural support can be provided less frequently than every week and if necessary, by telephone or video call
- Pharmacists have the option to supply up to four weeks (in some cases) of pharmacotherapy if appropriate. Careful consideration should be given to the likelihood of compliance in order to reduce medicines wastage
“Quit Your Way” smoking cessation services continue to be available. Contact information here. For more information or advice, please contact the NHSGGC Health Improvement team: telephone 0141 201 4945 or email: pharmacyhit@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.
Published 05/06/2020. Medicines Update blogs are correct at the time of publication.