End your relationship with Smoking this Stoptober
End your relationship with Smoking this Stoptober
Stoptober is back, and this year the Northamptonshire Public Health’s Stop Smoking Service are working with the two general hospitals in the county to target those most at risk.
Smoking is either directly or indirectly (through smoking related conditions) responsible for 1,901 hospital admissions per 100,000 people and 274 deaths per 100,000 people annually across the UK.
Smokers also make more use of both GP services (Primary care) and Hospital (Secondary care) services than non-smokers. This is estimated by Public Health England to cost £1.1 billion in primary care and a further £1 billion in secondary care each year.
In Northamptonshire, in the last 12 months, the work of the Stop Smoking Service has become more targeted, with a view to reaching those most in need of support in the County. The service has prioritised smoking cessation support for hospital in-patients and those going into hospital for operations.
There are multiple benefits for patients who are able to quit smoking prior to or during a hospital stay. Quitting smoking before surgery can reduce complications during surgery and improve recovery. Research also suggests that smokers tend to spend two more days in hospital post-surgery than non-smokers. Once a patient quits, the body starts to repair immediately and the longer the patient is able to stay quit, the quicker the healing process.
Public Health’s Smoking Cessation Service now have advisors working in both Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals one day a week, delivering specialist stop smoking support and advice for both pre-op patients and inpatients. The team are also starting more targeted work on Respiratory wards with inpatients.
Northamptonshire also has a high rate of smoking at time of delivery for pregnant mothers. In order to try and address this, Public Health Northamptonshire has contributed to funding for two “Healthy Living midwives” to carry out more focused work with pregnant women.
In addition to this new targeted work, the Smoking Cessation team also hold regular community clinics alongside a network of GPs and pharmacies that are trained to deliver smoking cessation and offer support to patients wanting to stop smoking.
If you are thinking about quitting smoking and would like some help, contact our smoking cessation team on: 0300 126 5700 or email the team on smokefree@firstforwellbeing.