NHS Lothian Pharmacy Stop Smoking Service
PCA (P)(2017) 7 gives the up to date service specifications.
Smoking Cessation Overview
In general, anyone who wishes to attempt smoking cessation can either:
- contact the Quit Your Way for initial consultation – the Quit Your Way team then sends an NRT product recommendation to the patient’s preferred pharmacy [patient quit data is NOT entered into the PCR system]
- use the ‘walk in’ service at any pharmacy – pharmacy carries out consultation with patient, dispenses NRT products and provides support over the 12 week attempt period [patient quit attempt data IS entered into the PCR system]
Clients accessing the QYW specialist service will be recommended either NRT or varenicline.
- For NRT, the request form will usually be emailed to the pharmacy nominated by the patient. NRT supplied in response to a QYW specialist request should be processed through the Universal Claims Framework facility on your pharmacy’s system.
- For varenicline, the QYW team will request a prescription from the patient’s GP practice; the prescription is processed as normal by the receiving pharmacy.
- No entry should be made onto the PCR (Pharmacy Care Record) system for any patients referred by QYW!
NOTE: Data entry on the PCR is still required for patients supported to stop smoking via the walk-in pharmacy service – as a result, ALWAYS tick the ‘No’ radio button in the “Shared Care?” question in the Initial Data Capture screen for the patient. This avoids duplicate reporting of the same patient’s attempt via pharmacy and Quit Your Way.
Varenicline
A new PGD for Varenicline has been released and it is available from the PGD page.
Quit your way
There is a Lothian-based Pharmacy Assist Team (PAT) as part of Quit Your Way to support community pharmacy teams. If you require any smoking cessation support, carbon monoxide supplies or would be interested in some training then please email The Pharmacy Assist Team at loth.qywpat@nhs.scot
Training:
– NHS Scotland Smoking Cessation service | Turas | Learn
Useful Documents and Links
- Sample Approved Pharmacy NRT Request form from QYW
- Flowchart showing how clients will now access support via walk-ins or QYW (this includes timescales and remuneration details)
- Initial Data Form/Tracker
- How to use the CO monitor
- CO Readings Chart
- CO Record Card
- East Region Formulary – smoking cessation products
- Very Brief Advice Factsheet (print and keep at counter as prompt)
- Very Brief Advice Flowchart (print and keep at counter as prompt)
- Smoking Cessation Overview Presentation – useful training tool for pharmacy teams (includes what to enter on PCR, commonly made errors on PCR, and further online training courses – (NOTE: the TURAS module is currently being updated due to varenicline being unavailable; however you will still find this a very useful module!)
- NHS Inform – Stopping Smoking section
- Quit Your Way
Updated JN 20/6/25