NEWS
EXCLUSIVE
Q&A WITH
Stop Smoking Champion
LOUISE ROSS
Want to quit tobacco but don’t know where to start?
Intrigued how Stop Smoking services work?
Service Manager at Stop Smoking Leicester,
Louise Ross tells all...
Louise Ross is Service Manager at the
Stop Smoking Centre in Leicester. She
encourages others to quit traditional
tobacco cigarettes whilst spreading the
message that there are other ways to
stop smoking. The service provides
invaluable support to smokers wanting
to lead a healthier lifestyle. Vapouround
caught up with Louise; here is what
she had to say about vaping, smoking
cessation methods, and everything else
in between.
Vapouround Magazine: Hi Louise, tell
us a little about yourself and Stop
Smoking Leicester.
Louise Ross: I’ve managed the service
for 11 years, and we’ve always tried to
stay at the leading edge of what services
can do to help people stop smoking, on
many fronts; young people, pregnant
women, people who are ill with both
physical and mental ill health, workforces
and so on.
VM: How did you get involved with
Stop Smoking Leicester?
LR: I used to manage a large care home
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for people with learning disabilities. I saw
this job (I had only just stopped smoking
myself) and I thought, wow, I could do
that now!
VM: You’re an ex-smoker; why and
how did you quit smoking?
LR: I quit smoking because of
the money I was spending I wanted to do my kick-boxing
instructor’s training but
couldn’t afford it - that kept me
motivated! I kept myself VERY
busy and used a breathing
technique I’ve used with other
people who have wanted to
stop smoking.
VM: Describe a typical day if you can,
at Stop Smoking Leicester.
LR: Every day is different, which is why
we enjoy our work so much. Some of
us cover the phone lines, dealing with
enquiries from people who want to stop
smoking, people who want information
only, frontline workers who want to know
what to say to their patients or service
users. Others will be out at clinics, or
doing training, or making home visits to
people who are too poorly to get out. I do
a lot of talking to other groups, especially
about e-cigs, but I also have to do all
the work that goes with a manager’s job,
such as report-writing, finance, HR
and so on.
VM: What do you think of Public
Health England’s report that asserted
e-cigs are around 95% less harmful
than tobacco?
LR: It was a huge boost for us, as it
gave proper authority to what we had
been saying for a long time. I was very
disappointed that the authors were
criticised for the 95% assertion, by
factions who should, in my opinion, be
supporting this unique opportunity to
reduce the harm from smoked tobacco.
VM: How does vaping as a smoking
cessation method compare to your
usual treatments of gums, patches,
inhalators et al?