Every member of the pharmacy team can help people give up smoking through different levels of support, including advice, referral to stop smoking services or by providing information on products that could help them based on their circumstances.

There are certain signs that you can look out for to help you identify if smoking advice may be appropriate, such as if they:

• Are receiving medication for a condition that would benefit from stopping smoking.
• Are suffering from a cough or chest infection.
• Have persistent or frequent indigestion.
• Are purchasing pregnancy or fertility tests.
• Request treatments for mouth ulcers.
• Are purchasing nutritional or sports based supplements.

Introducing the subject with customers involves just asking a couple of questions such as “do you smoke at all?” or “have you considered stopping smoking or tried stopping before?”