Les plans to help you to give up smoking

From the archive, first published Tuesday 21st Feb 2006.

A retired police officer has come up with a new device to detect smokers and help them quit.

The simple smokescreen test which can detect if or how much a person smokes, has been developed by Shipley-based Modern Health Systems (MHS).

MHS's managing director, a former chief superintendent and divisional commander, Les Vasey, pictured, said he was expecting the easy-to-use mouth swab test to be snapped up by NHS Primary Care Trusts. "We are having talks with PCTs and other health care providers. I'm expecting a lot of interest because it will be able to help them meet Government targets to help people give up smoking." Mr Vasey said the kits would also help people addicted to smoking to face their problems and deal with them.

Once the swab has been taken, nicotine is detected by using a colour chart. The darker the colour the swab matches, the greater the nicotine intake.

MHS, formed three years ago, has built its reputation on more traditional diagnostic procedures for alcohol and drug testing at work, pregnancy, cholesterol and diabetes.

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