Community pharmacies across Lothian are to expand the services they provide to patients and the general public.

All 180 community pharmacies are now to provide a service to help people to stop smoking.

Helena Connelly, smoking cessation co-ordinator, NHS Lothian, said in a statement:  "We want to provide a service which will meet the needs of our diverse population and the expansion of our stop smoking services into community pharmacies is an excellent addition which I am sure will be welcomed by those wishing and trying to quit smoking."

Evidence shows that people trying to give up smoking are twice as likely to succeed if they have support than if they try to do it alone.
 
Pat Murray, director of pharmacy, NHS Lothian, said: "The community pharmacist is providing an increasingly important role to the local population as the range of pharmacy services grow and expand.  Our community pharmacists will offer confidential advice to people, which will include assessing addiction to nicotine, smoking habit and motivation to quit. 
 
"It also means people requiring nicotine replacement therapy will be able to get this on prescription directly from the community pharmacist as well as their GP."
 
The pharmacies are to offer a 12-week stop smoking programme to those trying to quit.

NHS Lothian provides a range of stop smoking services, including one to one and group support in a variety of locations.