Smoking Cessation Training
All training is now online but your Public Health Practitioners can support you with any issues or questions.
The Turas course is currently under review and so there is only 1 current option available for undertaking training in smoking cessation.
The Public Health Scotland smoking cessation course is an 8–10-hour course with an assessment at the end. You will need to create an account to access an enrolment key. It’s a fantastic, thorough course with lots of short role-play videos which we have documented into a library for ease of revision.
Course: Stop smoking suite – landing page (publichealthscotland.scot)
Public Health Scotland video library
video library – click here
All staff should be assessed by the lead Pharmacist to ensure they are skilled and knowledgeable enough to see clients.
Feel free to contact the Public Health Practitioners with any queries or issues, details as below.
PCR instruction
the Public Health Core services are available on Community Pharmacy Scotland web page at the link below. Just highlight the smoking section to read more about payments and find a short PCR video. Please note that there have been some changes to PCR since the recording.
Public Health Service — Community Pharmacy Scotland (cps.scot)
NHS Grampian Pharmacy Stop Smoking Training Pack
The NHS Grampian Pharmacy Stop Smoking Service Pack was developed as a staff training resource. The pack contains all the key information about the service in a condensed, simple format. It outlines the full service, the product guidelines, hints/tips to provide behavioural support and how to complete submissions correctly on PCR to receive payments. You may wish to download and print it off for easy reference – please ensure you are referring to the most recent Version 5, Sept 2024.
National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT)
These documents are for specialist smoking services but we have uploaded them here for your reference.
- NCSCT training standard – NCSCT LO [ 3 ] web v3 (scot.nhs.uk)
- Standard Treatment Programme (generic) – NCSCT STP LR v7.fh11
- Standard treatment programme for NHS Community Pharmacies (for discharge from hospital) – NCSCT STP SCS v6
- See NCSCT training modules here – NCSCT e-learning
- Please note the text and data are heavily weighted to England but are also relevant and advised for use in Scotland.
NICE Guidance – Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence
Smoking Cessation Support Tool for PCR
Only Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can receive PCR logins. To enable other pharmacy staff members to participate in the completion of PCR, click here for a paper-copy of the smoking cessation support tool that you can print out and use to complete initial data capture and ongoing contacts with patient.
NHS Grampian Health Information Resources Service
There are a wide range of tobacco resources available to help your pharmacy provide information to patients and raise awareness on stopping smoking. Click here to be redirected to the Health Information Resources Service where it is free to sign-up and order resources relevant to you in your community.
Smoking and Vaping Pathway
Contacts for Support
Your Public Health Practitioners are on hand to help you with anything related to the core NHS public health services, whether it be a smoking query, a PCR issue or a missed payment:
Suzanne Cowie (covers Aberdeen City and Aberdeeshire South) suzanne.cowie@nhs.scot
Denise Stirling (covers Moray and Aberdeenshire North) denise.stirling@nhs.scot
News
Tobacco Strategy For The North East of Scotland
March 2025 – We are delighted to introduce the newly published tobacco plan for Grampian. This plan provides an example of how we all can work together to have a greater impact on tobacco related harm by accelerating reductions in smoking rates to reach our ambitious goal of 5% by 2034. It’s a long read with 6 priorities. Pharmacies fit mostly into priority 1 so we suggest, if you are short of time, you read the Forward and priority 1 sections. Find it here: Tobacco Strategy
Vaping Update
Nov 2024 – You’ll maybe remember that we previously informed you of a ban on single-use vapes which was to be implemented from 1st April 2025. This is to be delayed by two months to align with other UK nations. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that new legislation has been laid out in Parliament to ban the sale of single-use vapes from June 1st 2025. Additionally, the Chancellor as part of the budget, announced a tax on vapes which will be introduced on 1st October 2026. This will see a flat rate duty of £2.20 per 10ml of liquid meaning that a small bottle of vape juice which costs as little as £1 will instead cost £3.20 – a 220% increase in price.The new tax is to discourage non-smokers and young people from taking up vaping. A reminder that tobacco smokers should still be advised that vaping is less harmful (not harmless) than smoking cigarettes and a complete switch is classed as a tobacco quit.
Varenicline Update
Oct 2024 – You may have heard whispers that Varenicline is coming back. At the moment supplies are not of a level that it can be added into the Grampian formulary for use in pharmacies but watch this space!
New Government Tobacco and Vape Bill March 2024!
You can read more about the new bill which will take a 4-Nation approach here – Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping: what you need to know – Department of Health and Social Care Media Centre (blog.gov.uk)
Sign up to Scotland’s Charter to support a smoke free generation by 2034!
Scotland has a goal of creating a tobacco-free generation by 2034, meaning by 2034 less than 5% of adults will smoke.
To find out more and sign the Charter, click the link below…
Scotland’s Charter for a Tobacco-free Generation | ASH Scotland