Pharmacy teams should be aware of the Public Health England/NCSCT 2014 guidance which provides an overview of the latest evidence relating to the commissioning, delivery and monitoring of stop smoking service to support effective local planning and delivery. It is essential that pharmacy teams read this document thoroughly if you are delivering stop smoking services as it sets out fundamental quality principles and includes evidence-based recommendations for interventions, the use of carbon monoxide monitoring and the provision of pharmacotherapy.

This guidance states that all NICE-recommended treatments should be considered equally as first line, including varenicline and bupropion where appropriate. The guidance also supports the routine use of combination nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products – using more than one NRT product at a time.

The guidance also details the priority target groups for smoking cessation, though local target groups must be checked with the service commissioner.

The priority groups include: