NHS Quit Smoking

NowPatient’s NHS Quit Smoking service is a free 12-week programme that helps you continue your quit smoking journey after a hospital stay. Qualified Stop Smoking Practitioners provide behavioural support and prescribe medication through remote video consultations, so you do not need to visit your GP.

The programme runs for 12 weeks from your initial consultation. It includes four consultation stages: an initial assessment, a 1-week interim check-in, a 4-week milestone consultation, and a final 12-week consultation where you are discharged from the service.

The consultations and delivery are completely free. If your clinician prescribes medication and you are not exempt from NHS prescription charges, you will pay a single prescription charge. If you are exempt (for example, you are over 60 or on Income Support), there is no charge at all.

No. The service is commissioned by NHS England and is only available to patients registered with a GP in England. It is not available in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, or outside the UK.

You may qualify if you are aged 18 or over, registered with the NHS in England, and have been referred by an NHS hospital or NHS Trust tobacco dependency team. The service is for patients who started smoking cessation treatment during a hospital stay and wish to continue after discharge.

No. You need a referral from an NHS hospital or NHS Trust tobacco dependency team. You cannot access this service without one. If you are looking for smoking cessation support without a hospital referral, contact your GP or local stop smoking service.

If you do not qualify, NowPatient will signpost you to the right NHS care provider or service so you can still get the support you need.

Your clinician will verify your hospital referral details, confirm whether you received medication on discharge, assess your suitability for treatment, and agree on a treatment plan with you. If appropriate, a prescription will be issued. You should book this within 5 days of your referral.

Your clinician checks in on your progress and smoking status, provides behavioural support, discusses any challenges or side effects, and prescribes additional medication if needed.

This is a key milestone. Your clinician assesses your smoking status, records your 4-week quit outcome, and discusses continuing treatment to prevent relapse. Research shows that staying smoke-free for 4 weeks makes you 5 times more likely to quit for good.

Your clinician assesses your final smoking status, records your 12-week quit outcome, provides advice on staying smoke-free long-term, notifies your GP and the hospital tobacco dependency team of your progress, and discharges you from the service.

NowPatient sends you reminders 7 days before each planned follow-up consultation via push and in-app notifications. You do not need to track the dates yourself.

With your consent, your clinician will inform your GP of the treatment prescribed at each stage. We recommend agreeing to this, as your GP is responsible for your overall care and should have a record of your consultations and medication.

Log in to your NowPatient account and go to the NHS Quit Smoking Service Card in the NHS Hub. Select ‘Check Eligibility’, complete the screening quiz, and if you qualify, follow the prompts to choose your date, time, and clinician.

Yes. During booking, you can browse available clinicians and filter by gender and spoken languages. You can view each clinician’s name, licence number, and credentials before selecting.

After booking, you will see ‘Pre-consultation Requirements’ with preparation tips. You will also be asked to provide your consultation address and emergency contact details. You can opt in to an SMS reminder 30 minutes before your appointment.

Your clinician may prescribe Cytisinicline tablets, Varenicline tablets (Champix), or a range of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products including patches (24-hour and 16-hour), lozenges, gum, oral spray, inhalator, nasal spray, and sublingual tablets. The choice depends on your medical history, dependence level, and preferences.

Yes. Combination therapy — for example, patches plus a fast-acting product like lozenges or gum — may be recommended for heavier smokers. Your clinician will discuss the best approach with you.

No. Medication is provided only at the discretion of the assessing clinician and based on NHS eligibility criteria. Your clinician will prescribe treatment only if it is safe and suitable for you.

Yes. NowPatient’s pharmacists provide medication advice and counselling across all dispensing services. If you have questions about your smoking cessation medication, our pharmacy team is available to help.

After your consultation, go to your Cart, complete the NHS Exemption Declaration for each item, choose your delivery address and method, confirm your billing address, review your order, and submit payment. Delivery is free.

If you are not exempt from NHS prescription charges, you will pay a single prescription charge. If you are exempt, there is no charge. You confirm your exemption status during checkout.

Our clinicians are board-certified pharmacists and pharmacy technicians registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). All undergo DBS background checks and licence verification. The medications they prescribe are strictly governed and reviewed in line with NHS guidelines.

Yes. The service is classified as a Class I medical device under UK MDR 2002 regulations. It complies with NHS standards DTAC, DCB 0160, and DCB 0129. Consultations are delivered via live video to ensure clinical safety.

Yes. NowPatient operates from a HIPAA, DTAC, and Cyber Essentials Plus certified platform with the highest levels of information security. Clinicians access systems on a zero-trust basis with single sign-on (SSO) technology.

Yes. As an NHS patient, our clinicians can access your GP record, including medications, observations, and investigations. This helps them assess your condition safely and make appropriate prescribing decisions.

Yes. During the consultation, we will ask for your consent to provide the service. This allows us to communicate with your GP and share information with NHS England, NHS Improvement, and the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) when required.

We deliver to all postcodes in England. Some rural areas may experience slightly longer delivery times. Delivery is free for all NHS Quit Smoking orders.

All orders are shipped in discreet, unmarked packaging. Temperature-sensitive items are sent in cold chain-validated packaging to maintain product quality and safety.

We offer Royal Mail Standard Tracked & Signed (2–3 days) and Royal Mail Special Delivery (next working day, guaranteed before 1pm). Orders placed before 3pm Monday–Friday are dispatched the same day.

Your first order must be delivered to the address registered with NowPatient. After that, you can choose any delivery address, including your workplace or a neighbour’s address.

Check the tracking details in the ‘Notification Feed’ section of your dashboard. If your delivery has not arrived within 10 days of dispatch, contact us and we will work to resolve the issue.

NowPatient sends status updates by email and in-app notifications at every stage of your order.