ALMOST 16,000 smokers in Wales have used the free NHS Help Me Quit services in the past year.

This is the fourth year in a row the number of smokers looking to quit has risen, with 3,672 more smokers – or 31 per cent - accessing the service since five years ago.

With 15,599 smokers in Wales using the service in the past 12 months, this has been its most successful year since Help Me Quit began in 2017. This means a total of 70,796 people have now used NHS quitting services in the last five years.

In June, the National Survey for Wales revealed the percentage of adults in Wales who smoke has fallen from 19 per cent in 2017-18 to 17 per cent in 2018-19.

Smoking rates are highest in Wales’ poorest communities with 21 per cent of adults smoking in the most deprived areas last year, seven percent less than when the 2017-18 survey was conducted.

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In 2018, data showed almost one in five people in Blaenau Gwent were smokers.

Both the reduction in smokers, and the increase in people accessing the quitting services are welcome news for Public Health Wales, which works in partnership with the seven Welsh health boards to provide free, effective and tailored stop smoking support.

Ashley Gould, consultant in Public Health and national lead for Tobacco Control, said: “We’ve been working hard to reach out to smokers and make them more aware of the great NHS Wales services that are available to them, to help them reach their goal of being smoke-free.

“Help Me Quit services provide free stop smoking medication and all the hints, tips and support needed to quit, which together have been shown to be the most effective way to quit.

“It is hugely pleasing to see that in the last five years over 70,000 people have been treated by Help Me Quit services, which are delivered in workingmen’s clubs, town halls, community pharmacies and hospital settings that are easy to get to.

“Stopping smoking is hard, but it’s often the number one thing smokers can do for their health, their wallets and their loved ones.

“Seven in 10 smokers in Wales want to quit – Help Me Quit is the best way to make that happen.

“The chances of making a successful quit attempt are four times greater with our support than by going it alone.

“This is a message we’re trying to send to the 190,000 smokers in Wales who try to stop every year.

“Many don’t succeed, but the NHS is there to help, providing friendly services through group sessions, one-to-one, or over the telephone. All smokers making a quit attempt also receive up to £250 worth of free stop smoking medication.”

If you’re a smoker that wants to quit, join the tens of thousands trying with NHS support by searching for Help Me Quit online, calling 0800 085 2219, or texting HMQ to 80818 and we’ll call you back.