About the clinic
We are located at 2 Stayners Road, London, E1 4AH. Click here for a map.
Who is the service for?
All smokers living or working in Tower Hamlets or City of London.
Do I need a referral?
You do not need to be referred to us from a healthcare professional in order to be seen, you can self-refer by calling 020 7882 8230 or clinicbookings@qmul.ac.uk
Who runs the service?
The service is run by expert smoking cessation advisors. It is overseen by Professor Peter Hajek, a leading expert in tobacco dependence and smoking cessation. You can find out more about our team here.
I'm thinking of quitting but not sure this is the right time.
If you know there are things coming up in the immediate future which are going to make it very hard for you to quit, it is probably best to wait until things are more stable. However, there is never a perfect time to quit; stressful events are always going to keep coming up, meaning you may never get round to it. You can have a chat with us if you are unsure.
How long does the treatment course last?
It varies slightly depending on which clinic or research trial you join, but on average we would like to see you once a week over 6 weeks.
About stop smoking medications
Why do you recommend I stop smoking with medications?The medications we use are all safe and have proven efficacy in helping smokers stop smoking.
What is NRT?
NRT stands for Nicotine Replacement Therapy. After years of smoking a smoker's brain and body gets used to regular doses of nicotine. This is why stopping smoking causes irritability and discomfort. Providing reduced doses of nicotine via NRT or e-cigarettes takes the edge off the discomfort and makes quitting easier. There are several types of NRT including patches, chewing gum, lozenges, mouthspray, oral strips etc. We help smokers to select a type of NRT best suited to them. You would be asked to use your NRT for at least the first few weeks of abstinence from smoking.
What is Champix?
Champix (varenicline) is a prescription medication that alleviates the discomfort people experience when they try to quit smoking and also can make smoking less rewarding. Champix is used for up to 3 months after stopping smoking.
What about electronic cigarettes?
We recommend e-cigarettes in addition to the other treatments as some smokers find them helpful. We can advise on suitable e-cigarette products, and depending which clinic you attend you may be given a free starter park.
How much is this going to cost me?
The clinic attendance is free of charge. If you are entitled to free prescriptions your medications will be free as well. If you pay for your prescriptions, your medications will cost approximately £8.05 per week or per fortnight depending on your medication choice.
Why not just use medication and not spend time at the clinic?
People are much more likely to succeed in stopping smoking if the medications are combined with expert guidance; in fact, scientific comparisons of the outcomes of just getting medication from a pharmacy versus attending a specialist clinic shows that clinics are four times more effective. This is true especially for smokers who find quitting difficult.
If you have any other questions please feel free to email us at clinicbookings@qmul.ac.uk
