Image: Members of the Smokefree West Sussex Quit4Wellbeing team with Councillor Bob Lanzer, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing
Release date: 28 November 2024
West Sussex County Council has announced a major expansion of its stop smoking services, to support residents to quit smoking for good.
Funded by a Government grant, the expanded Smokefree West Sussex services have increased the amount of free support available to help smokers to quit and provide more choice in how they choose to quit.
The services now include:
- A new specialist stop smoking service ‘Quit4Wellbeing’, offering face-to-face and over-the-phone support
- A new Smokefree app, available to support West Sussex residents over the age of 18 to quit smoking
- A new ‘Smokefree West Sussex’ phone line for help in accessing stop smoking services.
The extra services will significantly increase capacity to support people to quit smoking in addition to the support already available from the West Sussex Wellbeing Programme, participating GP surgeries and pharmacies.
West Sussex County Council’s Public Health team also launched a new stop smoking campaign in October to show smokers looking to quit that ‘It’s Well Worth It’, encouraging them to make a quit attempt and make use of the free support available from Smokefree West Sussex services.
Alison Challenger, West Sussex County Council Director of Public Health, said: “We’re pleased to be expanding the range of free services available to smokers who want to quit. By offering more choice and a new digital stop smoking service, in addition to a range of other options, we hope many more people will be encouraged to access support to quit, particularly those who are unable to attend face-to-face sessions.”
Councillor Bob Lanzer, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “This new service supports the priority in Our Council Plan to help people fulfil their potential and lead healthy lives.
“Quitting smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health. It's much easier to stop smoking when you get the right support and, with professional help, you're three times more likely to quit for good.”
For those interested in downloading the app or seeking local support, visit westsussexwellbeing.org.uk/smokefree or call 0330 222 7980.
