Council staff get help to give cigs the push
Today is national No Smoking Day and Warwickshire County Council employees who want to give cigarettes the push are being offered help and advice.
The initiative is formally launched today as part of the county council’s commitment to supporting a healthy workforce.
Employees who want to quit are now able to turn to a special team of Stop Smoking Advisers – fellow colleagues who’ve been approved to offer advice by Warwickshire NHS Stop Smoking Services.
The fourteen Stop Smoking Advisers are based around the county and work across the council’s directorates.
Councillor Alan Farnell, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “A recent staff survey revealed that, out of those employees who took part, 74% who currently smoke want to quit the habit. This figure is well above the national average for smokers that want to quit.
“We owe it to these employees to give them the support and guidance they need to boost their will-power and get unhooked. It will also have a positive effect for their colleagues and for our customers.”
In addition to help from the Stop Smoking Advisers, employees who want to quit will also find lots of information on the county council’s staff intranet site and the NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0169) has also been publicised.
On No Smoking Day, the county council’s updated Smoke Free Workplace Policy also comes into effect. The Government’s Health Act 2006 will see virtually all workplaces in England become smoke-free environments by 1 July 2007.