Over the last decade thousands of people have been supported to make healthier choices at the Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham.
This year marks the tenth anniversary since the service first opened, and to mark the occasion a special event was held at the site on Monday, 1 December.
As well as showcasing the successes that have been achieved at the Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham, the event saw the initial launch of Medway’s new AI quit smoking tool – Quit Coach.
Since first opening its doors in 2015, almost 15,000 residents have been directly supported by one of the teams based at the centre.
This includes more than 7,000 people who have accessed in-person stop smoking support, with almost 2,500 of them going on to kick the habit for good.
However, stop smoking support is not all that is on offer. In 2017, the Smokefree Advice Centre expanded the help available to residents.
Medway’s Public Health team started to offer NHS Health Checks from the centre, and since then more than 5,000 health checks have been delivered. These checks are open to eligible 40 to 74-year-olds and give them the chance to get advice on how to become healthier, or maintain their healthy lifestyle. The check can even help to spot conditions that have no symptoms like high blood pressure.
In the same period, 630 people accessed specialist weight management services at the centre, receiving tailored one-to-one support from a multidisciplinary team including specialist health improvement nurses, dietitians, and psychologists. These structured 12-month programmes focused on diet, exercise, and behaviour change, providing ongoing monitoring and support.
Make small changes
Cllr Teresa Murray, Deputy Leader of Medway Council and Portfolio Holder for Public Health, said: “This event was a great opportunity for us to celebrate all of the fantastic work our hard-working teams have achieved from the Smoking Advice Centre over the last decade. Everything they do here is about prevention, it is about getting people to make small changes, to not ignore the small issues before they become something bigger. Thousands of Medway residents have directly benefitted from the support on offer between these four walls, as well as thousands more at other sites and online. There are now fewer people harming their own health, and that of others, by stopping smoking and sticking to it with our team’s support”
If you are ready to make a change and take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle, visit the Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham today. Whether you want to quit smoking, check your health or get support with weight management, our friendly teams are on hand to help.
Find out more about the stop smoking support on offer in Medway.
Learn more about the health and wellbeing support on offer in Medway.