Quit Smoking

Are you familiar with Tusla’s Smoke Free Workplace Policy?

It is the policy of Tusla that all our workplaces are smoke-free and that staff have a right to work in a smoke-free environment. The policy extends to the use of E-cigarettes, Vaporisers and Herbal Cigarettes/Tobacco and any derivatives of these. You can read the policy here

This plan aims to reduce tobacco use among Tusla staff through structured support, education, and collaboration with the Health Service Executive (HSE) Smoking Cessation Services. Smoking is a leading preventable cause of disease and mortality in Ireland and impacts workplace productivity, absenteeism, and staff health. 
 

Many of us are becoming more aware of the negative impact that smoking can have on our health. According to the HSE, 1 in every 2 smokers will die from a smoking-related disease. In Ireland, smoking is the leading cause of avoidable death with nearly 6,000 people dying in Ireland each year from the effects of smoking, and thousands of others are affected by related diseases.
 

For more on the health benefits of stopping smoking, visit the HSE 'Quit' campaign here https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/tobaccocontrol  This programme will run continuously year-round. Staff can enter the programme at any point.
 

Tobacco cessation services are recognised as an important element of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy. The HSE provides and promotes a wide range of cessation services, ranging from online and social media supports on quit.ie and Facebook – HSE Quit, a National Smokers QUIT Line 1800 201 203, HSE QUIT services, primary care supports provided by GPs, pharmacists and dentists, and tobacco dependence treatments.
 

Occupational health initiatives, particularly smoking cessation, are key to improving workforce health, reducing absenteeism, and promoting a culture of health promotion and prevention. This programme adopts a health improvement approach by embedding smoking cessation into Tusla’s internal wellbeing strategy, aligning with the HSE’s Making Every Contact Count (MECC) framework. View TUSLA’s Smoke Free Workplace Policy here https://www.tusla.ie/uploads/content/Smoke_free_workplace_policy.pdf
 

Evidence shows that those who choose to use stop-smoking medicine and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in their quit attempt have double the chances of success. This means that if someone uses these aids, they are twice as likely to quit smoking successfully. A smoker is 5 times more likely to successfully quit if they: engage with behavioural support use stop smoking medications or NRT and manage to stay off tobacco quit for 28 days.

 Our Objectives
 

• To support Tusla staff in quitting smoking using evidence-based interventions.
• To promote a smoke-free work environment in alignment with Tusla and HSE and national policies.
• To reduce tobacco-related health inequalities across the organisation.
• To foster a supportive workplace culture around cessation efforts.

Referral and Support Services
 

Tusla staff have access to: HSE QUIT Services: https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/quit-smoking/support-services  

Freephone Quit line (1800 201 203)

QUIT.ie digital resources – What you can avail of:
 

• Face-to-face behavioural support and pharmacotherapy where available
• Access to HSE-trained Smoking Cessation Officers
• GP Support: Staff may be signposted to their GP for prescriptions of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or varenicline (if appropriate)
• Pharmacological Support - Pharmacotherapy options
• Recommended pharmacological supports
• Staff stop smoking support
• If you are a HSE or TUSLA staff member, you can get help to quit smoking.
• You are 4 times more likely to stop smoking for good with stop smoking medicine and support from a HSE stop smoking advisor.
• Medicine includes some of the following:
• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)
• Prescription medicine called Champix. Using Champix (varenicline HCL) along with a short-acting nicotine replacement product is the best initial treatment option
• Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) – patches, gum, inhalers, lozenges - If Varenicline isn't suitable or preferred, a combination of NRT products is recommended. This includes a slow-release option like the patch.
• Varenicline – This is subject to current HSE prescribing protocols
• Bupropion – if clinically indicated

Access to pharmacotherapy can be facilitated through:
 

Local pharmacies (under the National Smoking Cessation Programme)

GP referral pathways

Contact:

HSE Quitline 1800 201 203

Text ‘QUIT’ to 50100

Website: https://www.quit.ie

Policy Alignment - This plan aligns with:
 

Tobacco Free Ireland (TFI) policy (Department of Health, 2013)

Tusla Smoke Free Workplace Policy

HSE Tobacco Free Campus policy

Tobacco Cessation Support Programme
 

The Tobacco Cessation Support Programme is a structured behavioural support programme for smoking cessation. It provides healthcare professionals with the resources to build client capacity for behaviour change in smoking cessation.
 

In facilitating this programme, the healthcare professional adopts a client- centred approach using the core skills of motivational interviewing. This approach enables the Healthcare Professional to support the tobacco user through the process of quitting by increasing confidence and motivation to quit and developing personal coping skills to sustain the quit attempt over time.
 

The programme incorporates seven sessions and can be adapted to meet individual client needs, pace and readiness to change. The programme can be facilitated on an individual or group basis

Stop smoking clinical guidelines

The development of national clinical guidelines was part of the Tobacco Free Ireland action plan.

People working in health services in Ireland can help people quit smoking by following the Stop Smoking Clinical Guideline - gov.ie

The guideline: defines best practices for care of people who smoke. It recommends that healthcare professionals ask about smoking, advise then to stop and act by arranging support sets out the supports to help people who smoke to quit.

Who is it for

This guideline is mainly for all healthcare workers within the HSE. This includes operated and funded health and social care places. It includes hospitals, primary care, hospitals, and community centres in Ireland.

This guideline is useful for healthcare planners and managers. It is available for healthcare professionals in different areas. It can also be used by members of the public.

What are clinical guidelines

Clinical guidelines are carefully made recommendations, backed by a thorough examination of evidence. They help doctors and patients decide on the best healthcare for specific situations, covering a wide range of medical issues.

Clinical guideline development group

The HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme created a team called the Clinical Guideline Development Group in April 2017. The group was chaired by Dr Paul Kavanagh, Consultant in Public Health Medicine. The group includes clinical experts, high-level managers, service providers, research specialists, representatives from those who use the services.
 

The group carefully looked at and assessed existing international guidelines. It also looked at any evidence. They used this information to make recommendations for these clinical guidelines.
 

The early version of the guidelines was made available to all concerned stakeholders, for their feedback. They were also reviewed by global experts in helping people quit smoking. The guidelines were evaluated and approved by NCEC in June 2021 and then recommended for publication by the Minister for Health.

What healthcare professionals can do

To help people to stop smoking healthcare professionals can: ask about smoking status at every consultation, advise on the best way to quit which is using medication and our intensive service which provides behavioural support and act by recommending or prescribing stop smoking medication and referring to QUIT

Stop smoking advisors

Healthcare professionals can refer to local stop smoking advisors for behavioural support. Trained stop smoking advisors can assess a client’s nicotine dependence. They can advise on which options suit best as well as working with the client over a 12-month period.
 

This is to support the behavioural elements of smoking cessation. It involves examining the clients psychological and emotional dependence in detail and working with them to overcome this.
 

Any healthcare professional can apply to become a Referrer on Quit Manager. Quit Manager is the national patient management system for stop smoking services. Link: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/who/tobaccocontrol/intensive-smoking-cessation-training

Contact a stop smoking advisor

Find out about free stop smoking advisors and medicine in your region.

Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo

Fiona Boyle

Phone: 087 251 4790

stopsmokingdonegal@hse.ie

stopsmokingcavanmonaghan@hse.ie

stopsmoking.sligoleitrim@hse.ie

Galway, Mayo, Roscommon

Angela Killion

Phone: 091 775 485 087 444 3401

quitsmoking.west@hse.ie

Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary

Mary McMahon

Phone: 065 686 5841

maryb.mcmahon@hse.ie

Cork, Kerry

Anna Burns

Phone: 087 362 6535

anna.burns@hse.ie

Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford

Aine O' Gorman

Phone: 056 778 4477

southeaststopsmokingsupport@hse.ie

Dun Laoghaire, Dublin South East, Wicklow

CHO 6 Tobacco Team

Phone: 087 092 7225

cheast.quit@hse.ie

Dublin West, Dublin South City, Dublin South West, Kildare/West Wicklow

Dr Jose Ayala

Phone: 01 795 8074

jose.ayala@hse.ie

Laois, Offaly, Longford, Westmeath

Gail McNeil

Phone: 086 815 7708

gail.mcneill@hse.ie

Louth, Meath

Madeleine Kennedy

Phone: 087 236 3040

madeline.kennedy@hse.ie

Claire Gleeson

Phone: 087 452 8454

claire.gleeson3@hse.ie

Katie Gerard

Phone: 087 451 2808

katiea.gerard@hse.ie

Malachy Nixon

Phone: 087 710 6313

malachy.nixon@hse.ie

Dublin North, Dublin North Central, Dublin North West

Lorraine Barrett

Phone: 01 897 6124

hwb.dncc@hse.ie

How to quit vaping

To quit vaping: check if you are ready to quit make a plan to deal with your vaping triggers. Commit to quitting. Get support or medicines if you need them. We are still learning about the best way to quit vaping. But this advice is based on techniques that helped many people quit smoking and make other healthy changes.

Check if you're ready to quit

The first step in quitting vaping is wanting to quit.

Think about:

• your reasons for quitting
• what you like and dislike about vaping
• the positive and negative effects of quitting for you
• Write down your reasons and put them somewhere you see every day. For example, on your fridge or as the screensaver of your phone.
• This can help to keep you motivated when you quit.
• Examples of reasons to quit vaping
• Make a plan to deal with triggers
• Get to know your vaping triggers and plan ways to avoid them.
• Keep a vaping diary for 2 weeks. This can help you see patterns of when you vape.
• Common triggers and ways to avoid them
• A trigger is something that makes you want to vape. It can be a situation, a feeling, a routine activity or a nicotine craving.
• After you deal with a difficult situation a few times, you’ll become more confident.

Set your quit date

Having a quit date in mind can give you something to work towards. A date 2 to 4 weeks away gives you time to get ready without losing motivation. Avoid a day when you could be much more stressed than usual. For example, if you have a big event.

Prepare to quit

Use the time before your quit date to keep a vaping diary and think about ways to avoid your triggers

create vape-free spaces - for example, your car or home

increase the time between vaping sessions

get advice about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

learn how to use any NRT you need

get rid of any vaping equipment

You could also consider reducing the nicotine strength of your vape liquid.

Understand your level of dependence

It can be hard to know your level of nicotine dependence when you vape. This is because vape liquid may contain more or less nicotine than what is written on the label.

You may have a higher dependence on nicotine if you:

• vape as soon as you wake up
• vape even when you are so ill that you are in bed most of the day
• get withdrawal symptoms if you cannot vape for a while - for example, cravings, irritability and anxiety
• If you have a higher dependence on nicotine, consider using nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is a group of safe and effective medicines to help people stop smoking.

NRT may help to relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms when you stop vaping.

There are different types and strengths of NRT. Your pharmacist or GP can help you find the right strength or combination of products for you. You will need to pay for any NRT you get.

You may need to try different strengths.

Tips to stay quit

You are more likely to quit vaping for good if you follow these tips:

commit to quit - this means not having 1 puff of your vape after your quit date

get support from family or friends

celebrate your success - every day without vaping is a win

learn from any slips up - think about what caused the slip up and what you can change

follow your GP or pharmacist's advice on NRT and use it for the length of time they recommend

Use the 4Ds to cope with cravings 

Distract yourself

Delay until the craving passes,

Do 20 deep breaths and

Drink a glass of water in small sips

Please see below link to access more information on quitting vaping.

https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/quit-smoking/other-products/quit-vaping

Vaping and drugs

If you vape liquids that contain drugs, you can get support to stop.

Drugs and alcohol helpline

Our helpline for support, information or advice on treatment options.

Freephone: 1800 459 459 - Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm

Email: helpline@hse.ie