FRIDAY, 30 DECEMBER, 2016

PHOTOGRAPH ATTACHED: ANGELA SHANKS

Have a Healthy New Year!

An Angus woman says she is looking forward to a healthier 2017 after successfully quitting smoking.

Angela Shanks, from Montrose, has recently quit her 37-year smoking habit and has also lost three and a half stone.

The 54-year-old decided to stub out the habit after seeking help in her local pharmacy.

Angela said, “I had lost weight and had motivation from that so I decided to give up smoking too. I just walked into my local Boots pharmacy and asked how the scheme worked and I signed up for support.”

Angela attended the pharmacy for quit4u sessions for 12 weeks to receive extra advice and support.

quit4u is a scheme which supports smokers living in an eligible quit4u postcode area in Tayside to give up smoking. The initiative offers an incentive of £12.50 supermarket credit per week for 12 weeks to spend on groceries if they pass a regular carbon monoxide breath test.

Angela, who previously smoked around 30 cigarettes per day, said she was shocked at the impact that stopping smoking had on her health almost immediately.

She said, “When I first got tested, my carbon monoxide level was at 43 which is really high. By the next week the reading went down to two, which is almost the level of a non smoker. It was such a good feeling.”

As well as improving her health, Angela has also experienced financial benefits – saving around £850 since she stopped smoking in September.

Angela added, “I never thought I would ever be able to give up smoking but I did it.

“When I smoked, everything I did centred around when I could have another cigarette. Now I don’t have any of that and it is much better. I will never go back to smoking now. I do feel proud of myself and it was actually much easier than I expected to stop.

“The staff in the pharmacy were absolutely tremendous and so congratulatory every week when I kept going. I really hope people realise there is support available if you want it. It was one of the best things I ever did.”

Giving up smoking is the single most important lifestyle decision that anyone can make to improve their health immediately and we can offer advice and support to anybody who would like to quit.

Smoking is a serious issue which causes 13,000 deaths and 56,000 hospital admissions a year in Scotland which could be reduced by people choosing not to use tobacco.

Stopping smoking can not only reduce your health risks, but can improve breathing, circulation and energy levels to name just a few benefits.

Smokers in Tayside can go to their local pharmacy for a free consultation and if they wish to stop they can access a free 12-week programme of stop smoking support and products, including NRT and Champix.

Anyone who wants to stop smoking can call NHS Tayside Smoke Free Services on 0845 600 999 6 to find out about all the ways in which NHS Tayside can help support people to become smoke free. You can also join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nhstaysidesmokefree

Health benefits to quitting smoking:

• 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure and pulse return to normal

• 48 hours - no nicotine is left in your body. Your senses of taste and smell are greatly improved

• 72 hours - your breathing becomes easier and your energy levels increase

• 2-12 weeks after quitting smoking your circulation improves and exercise can be easier

• 3-9 months - any coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve

• Within one year the risk of heart attack is halved

• Within 10 years the risk of lung cancer is halved and the risk of heart attack is at the same level as non-smokers

• Medium to long term – stopping smoking at any age increases your life expectancy, provided you stop before the onset of serious disease. Even if you have developed a disease, you can benefit from stopping as your body will be under less strain and be able to fight it more easily.

The new NHS Tayside ‘Value Your NHS’ campaign encourages patients, carers, staff and the general public to make the best use of the services we provide to ensure we can continue to deliver person-centred, safe and effective treatment and care into the future.

It’s your NHS – you can help us to make use of our resources better. Everyone can make a difference. Tell us what the NHS means to you and your family - #lovenhstayside.

Notes to Editors – Value Your NHS

Value Your NHS is a campaign for NHS staff, patients and their families, carers and the general public to engage and inform around the challenges that the NHS faces over the coming years. These challenges include an increasingly ageing population with longer life expectancy, increasing numbers of people with long-term and multiple conditions, increasing costs and growing demand for services combined with continuing pressures on public finances.

NHS Tayside is committed to making the best use of public money while ensuring we continue to deliver person-centred, high quality and effective care to our patients. Value Your NHS will encourage the general public and our staff to also make the best use of these resources, to ensure we are able to continue to deliver sustainable healthcare into the future.

As part of the campaign, we are asking staff, patients and the public to tell us what the NHS means to them and their families. We are asking them to take a photo of themselves making a ‘hand heart’ and saying why they value NHS Tayside by tweeting or posting on Facebook using the hashtag #lovenhstayside.

Contact:

Debbie Huband

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 740134