Tobacco smoking is the main avoidable cause of premature death in the UK and is responsible for more than 100,000 deaths each year. Smoking causes a wide range of illnesses, but the most serious ones are cancer, respiratory disease and circulatory disease.

In July 2007, the government brought in legislation to restrict smoking in virtually all workplaces and enclosed public places to encourage people to stop smoking. This legislation is in line with the rest of the UK, many other European countries and the USA. In order to help people stop, pharmacists run NHS-funded stop smoking clinics and can provide over-the-counter nicotine replacement products.

The following 8 pages on 'brief advice' cover:

• Background statistics.
• How to raise the issue of stopping smoking.
• The most effective ways of stopping.
• Top Tips for stopping smoking

Main authors: Miriam Armstrong, Veronica Wray - PHLink, in association with key Policy Leads at the Department of Health.

Click here to download the document.

Towards a Smokefree England: Brief Interventions for stopping smoking by pharmacists and their staff gives detailed guidance to help pharmacists and their staff provide high quality, effective NHS stop smoking services.

Main author: Miriam Armstrong - PHLink, in association with key Policy Leads at the Department of Health.

Click here to download the document.