A NORTH Tawton company teamed up with the NHS to help its workers kick the habit on No Smoking Day last week. Mid Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT) has been working with staff at Taw Valley Creamery, North Tawton to help those who wish to quit. Experts from the trust?s quit smoking team visited the company and their practical help and support have cut the number of smokers dramatically. Since the programme began last autumn, more than 35% of smokers at the creamery have given up ? ten out of 27 people. Many more are waiting to get on to the free course. People taking part receive one-to-one counselling, special drop-in sessions and nicotine replacement therapy or patches and gum on prescription. A survey of the creamery?s staff found that of 134 employees, only 27, one in five, were smokers. Brian Kerr, general manager, said: ?As a responsible employer we wanted to do everything possible to help our staff give up. ?We knew it wasn?t going to be easy for the minority of our staff who did smoke but it seems that Mid Devon PCT has really worked wonders.? Former smoker Colin Ewen from Okehampton said there had been a good response from staff to the initiative: ?The majority of the guys want to give up. This just works as a spur to help you do it. ?We were expecting a lot more resistance than we have actually had, most people see it as a positive thing.? Another member of staff who stubbed out his habit, Jeremy Pickard, from Lapford, said he had tried quitting before, but the support of his employers had really helped. ?My worst time was night time shift, that is when I used to want a fag, but this scheme is really good. It gives you a push in the right direction.? From June 1, the building will become a completely non-smoking site, doing away with its designated smoking area. The business, famous for its award-winning cheeses, is owned by Milk Link and has further dairy processing facilities in Scotland where smoking is to be banned in workplaces by the end of March. But rather than wait for England to follow suit next year, company bosses, who already strictly control smoking for hygiene reasons, decided to introduce the ban across all its sites at the same time. Mid Devon PCT was then approached to provide its business-tailored approach to help quitters. The PCT is urging other companies to follow the lead of the creamery. Stephanie Duckworth, stop smoking expert who has worked with the firm?s staff, said it was good to see businesses working with the NHS: ?Smoking is the number one cause of early death and preventable disease in the UK. ?That means banning it on site is probably the biggest single thing the company can do to improve its employees? health ? and in practical terms that should be less days lost through sick days.? If businesses wish to learn more about this free service, they can call 01884 234484 or email [email protected]">[email protected]
