Immediate support to help people quit smoking has been made available by the DH in the form of a new iPhone application.

Launched on No Smoking Day (10 March), the 'Quit Smoking' programme offers: daily tips to manage cravings; a running tally of how much money you have saved or could save by quitting; a count of how long you have been smoke-free; instant access to the national Stop Smoking Helpline and specialist advisors; and contact information for local Stop Smoking services.

Public Health Minister Gillian Merron said: "Quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do to improve your health - significantly reducing the risk of serious conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease.

"Smokers who quit using free NHS support are up to four times more likely to be successful. This new app is one of the many innovative ways the Government is helping people quit for good. Last month we launched an ambitious strategy to halve the number of smokers by 2020."

Deborah Arnott of charity ASH said: "Around two-thirds of smokers want to quit and try time and again. So using modern technology to help them finally achieve that goal is a welcome idea."

The new application is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is available from iTunes, www.smokefree.nhs.uk and NHS Choices.

Those without an iPhone or iPod touch can text the word 'calculator' to 64746 to receive information on an NHS Choices smoking calculator.

A similar application, launched by the NHS in December to help people keep track of their alcohol intake, has so far been downloaded 65,000 times.

 
Gillian Merron