The NCSCT (National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training) are very pro-vaping and even offer courses to help Health Professionals understand and incorporate vaping into their practice.
They have courses on how any health professional can instigate the conversation on quitting smoking and help guide people towards alternatives.
Plus they offer tailored courses which target certain areas such as people using homeless services.
Even better all their courses are free to read or download from the website – ncsct.co.uk.
We have an excellent training course on vaping to switch from smoking, see https://t.co/A6RdYH6Jrr #pharmacists
Pharmacies selling vapes should offer ‘behavioural support’ to users | Chemist+Druggist :: C+D https://t.co/LXeNUDpvm5
— NCSCT (@NCSCT) June 14, 2022
The above Tweet also highights how Pharmacists can be part of the Stop Smoking service locally.
On the article quoted in the Tweet the role of Pharmacists in this is discussed.
It suggests that Pharmacies selling vapes should offer behavioural support to help service users quit.
The NCSCT courses would be ideal to help get staff clued up to give the most accurate and helpful advice to smokers on what alternatives they have.
I think this is a brilliant idea, if the chemists stocked good quality vape products too they could even make a sale from this.
The local stop smoking services in the UK have had a bashing with COVID and funding cuts, so hopefully with the Khan Tobacco Independent Review they can get a boost.
The aim is for any health professional who comes into contact with a smoker to be able to use the “VBA (Very Brief Advice) on smoking” protocol to get the conversation started. This means that smokers can be given advice on alternative nicotine sources and pointed in the direction of support to help them quit.
If Pharmacists and their staff are also trained for this too – I think it could reach many more people.
There is a lot of negative press about vaping (See my Vape News Sentiment Tracker for instance) and if health professionals can reassure people it is a safer way to quit this can only be a good thing!
Everything crossed huh!
