A BASINGSTOKE woman is encouraging other people to give up smoking after kicking the habit with the help of a new project being run at Basingstoke hospital.

Tessa Llama is celebrating going four weeks without a cigarette, an achievement she says she could not have accomplished without the support she received from the NHS Quit4Life Enhanced Smoking Cessation Project.

The project sees Quit4Life Smoking Cessation Advisors visit wards, providing materials to help smokers cope with the effects of cigarette withdrawal during their hospital stay and advising on ways to give up for good.

Tessa, who has been smoking for 29 years, had a 40-a-day habit when she was admitted to Basingstoke hospital with pneumonia in early October.

However, having spoken to Louise Fuller, a Quit4Life advisor at the hospital, Tessa took the decision to give up once and for all.

"I have tried to give up before, but I couldn’t make it work," said Tessa, who is 49 and lives in South Ham. "I just didn’t have the willpower to give up on my own.

"I was in hospital last year, and all I wanted to do was to get out so I could have a cigarette. When I was admitted again, I was determined that the same thing wouldn’t happen.

"I was in hospital for three weeks and not smoking for that amount of time was really hard. The first couple of days were the hardest, but Louise helped me to get through it. She has since sent me encouraging text messages and I could not have done it without her.

"I’m confident that I can keep it up. I will do it my own way, but with a bit of help, I’m determined to give up.

"If I can give up, anybody can, and I would encourage people to take part in this programme. It just makes sense to give up and hopefully quitting will also aid my treatment."

Louise, who is Tessa’s advisor, added: "I cannot tell you how proud I am of Tessa. Tessa has highly complex medical needs and quitting will improve her quality of life "By stopping smoking, especially before an operation, patients recover quicker from an anaesthetic, have a lower risk of complications and are able to leave hospital sooner and get back to normal life.

"My colleague Gail Stringer and I are getting to know more about the hospital experience for the patient. As we are a specialist service we are able to spend time with patients, reassuring them and giving them confidence to attempt to quit.

"Being in hospital is a highly anxious time for patients, but so is quitting, especially when patients have smoked most of their life.

"Gail and I have found the programme a very positive experience. The staff, managers and patients at the hospital are getting to know us and they feel comfortable talking to us and asking us any questions."