Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore Marks QUIT Month with Awareness Day

Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore (MRHT) hosted an awareness day this week supported by your local HSE Stop Smoking Advisors to mark QUIT Month, encouraging people across the Midlands to take the first step towards becoming smoke-free. The day highlighted the free supports available through the HSE QUIT service, including personalised plans and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

Smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable illness in Ireland, but quitting is possible with the right help. The HSE QUIT service offers expert advice and practical support to help people break free from tobacco addiction for good. Research shows that using stop smoking supports can double your chances of quitting successfully.

Martina Blake, National Lead, HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Programme said:

“Smoking is a complex behaviour with physical and psychological elements. Our trained stop smoking advisors work with people to create personalised plans tailored to their lifestyle. They can advise on NRT and provide it for free. This support can double your chance of quitting by helping address the physical cravings as well as working on your smoking triggers and the emotional side of quitting smoking.”

Caroline Brickland Local Stop Smoking Advisor said:

“People often think they have to quit on their own, but support really makes the difference. We work with people in Tullamore every day to help them manage cravings, deal with triggers, and stay motivated. The QUIT service is free, and we can provide nicotine replacement therapy to make the process easier. If you’re thinking about quitting, now is the perfect time to start.”

Michelle Maher, Operations Manager at MRHT added:

“We were delighted to host this awareness day as part of QUIT Month. Smoking impacts so many aspects of health, and quitting is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Our goal is to make sure people know that help is available locally and nationally through the HSE QUIT service.”

QUIT supports available

HSE QUIT services are free and available all year round. The QUIT service provides personalised, evidence-based plans, tailored to your needs, using any combination of the support options:

• phone support from the Freephone QUITline: 1800 201 203, or text 'QUIT' to 50100
• an online-personalised QUIT plan where you can track your progress also available through the HSE app
• Face to face and group support from local community based services
• A free QUIT Kit to help you prepare
• Advice on Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and stop smoking medication

HSE QUIT services are now helping more people quit successfully than ever before. In the last five years, the number of people using HSE QUIT has doubled and the proportion who are successful quit at the end of their programme has increased by 50%. HSE QUIT services follow National Stop Smoking Guidelines and provide people with free access to support and stop smoking medications, which offer people the best chances of quitting for good.  

Top tips for quitting smoking successfully

1. Don’t feel you need to go it alone. HSE QUIT is there for you, to help you take this step with simple, practical and effective help, maximising your chance of staying quit for good. Staff will provide non-judgemental support and encouragement.
2. Focus on the goal to stay smoke-free for one day at a time until you get to 28 days. Once people get to that goal, they are up to 5 times more likely to stay quit for good.
3. Use stop-smoking medicine, like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This is a safe, effective and a clinically sound way of dealing with cravings.