The lifestyle and behaviour change service, Live Well Wolverhampton, is being delivered by Central Health Solutions and offers people information, advice and guidance, self-help tools and lifestyle interventions over a period of 12 weeks to enable them to make and maintain positive lifestyle choices.
It provides support to help people quit smoking and manage their weight and is open to adults who live or are registered with a GP in the city.
Obesity and smoking are both risk factors for a range of conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, the biggest causes of premature mortality in Wolverhampton. Levels of obesity and smoking are higher in the city compared to the national and regional averages.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing, said: "We have fundamental concerns about levels of smoking and obesity in Wolverhampton, with rates for both higher than the national and regional average, and we know that both of these conditions can have a huge impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
"We want to do everything we can to help our residents to lead more healthy lifestyles and this new service is offering support in a simple, local and accessible way."
To register for support, please visit Live Well Wolverhampton.
People who require support to stop smoking are offered either a six-week supply of a combination of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products, or a 12 week supply of e-cigarettes, alongside 12 weeks’ behavioural support. Any smokers who would like to quit and access the support available can call or text the word ‘QUIT’ to 07378 768046.
Among the residents benefitting from Live Well Wolverhampton’s support to quit smoking is 46-year-old Mark Gallagher. He had smoked 20-plus cigarettes a day for over 30 years and felt his lifestyle was affecting his health, with a recent health check suggesting he had a heart age of a 63-year-old.
He had attempted to quit smoking before but found it difficult. Mark said the support provided though the new service was the “kick up the backside I needed”.
He said: “Having someone to support me weekly was encouraging and helped spur me on to do better, and I am now smoke-free and living a healthy, happy lifestyle. I know that if I hadn’t changed things around and quit smoking, things could be different right now – and I hope that I can prove to everyone that it’s never too late to change and it’s not impossible to do so.”
Another beneficiary is Mark Caine, aged 45, who vowed to change his lifestyle after having a sudden heart attack in February.
Initially, he focused on losing weight, successfully losing six-and-a-half stone, but he struggled to stop smoking on his own and so approached Live Well Wolverhampton for support.
He said: "The help I got from my smoking advisor was excellent, not only on days that I went in for face-to-face support but also if I needed any advice, she was just a text away.
"I feel a lot better since I’ve stopped smoking, no more wheezing and coughing first thing in the morning. Live Well Wolverhampton offered a brilliant, helpful service from my advisor and her colleagues, and I am thankful of the help."
Meanwhile, Caroline Bryant had smoked for over 40 years and made the decision to quit when she noticed worsening symptoms of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - and she also encouraged her husband Kevin Bryant to sign up for support through Live Well Wolverhampton, too.
The pair attended clinic every week without fail and enjoyed the weekly catch ups with their smoking advisor - even dubbing it ‘Smoking club’. As the weeks went by, they could feel their health improving faster than they could have imagined and even managed to remain smoke free while on holiday in Spain surrounded by smokers.
Caroline said: "I don’t think we would have been able to do this without the weekly catchups and tailored support provided by the service."
