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Leeds City Council has commissioned pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to supply stop smoking medicines under a patient group direction (PGD).

Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire (CPWY) told Independent Community Pharmacist varenicline and cytisinicline will be supplied under the PGD “to improve access to smoking cessation treatments, making it quicker and easier for people who want to quit to receive support”.

It is hoped the new service will fill the gaps left by patchy locally commissioned pharmacy smoking cessation services across England, which have left many people who want to quit struggling to access support.

CPWY said the “current provision” of varenicline and cytisinicline is “variable” and insisted the PGD service, which is expected to start in May, “presents a valuable opportunity for community pharmacy to play a greater role in addressing this gap”.

Under the NHS community pharmacy smoking cessation service, pharmacists carry out consultations with patients to discuss their attempt to quit for up to 12 weeks and review their nicotine replacement therapy. However, CPWY said the new PGD service was much needed.

It said it was unable to confirm what fees participating pharmacies will receive because the service specification has not been finalised. 

Last month, the Company Chemists’ Association warned some local authorities were restricting access to services by using patient characteristics such as age or restrictions for pregnant women.

Calling on Labour to commission a national pharmacy smoking cessation service, the CCA also claimed some authorities are refusing to give patients access to prescription-only medicines through PGDs.