Thousands of Leeds hospital patients offered help to quit smoking

Hospital patients in Leeds are being offered help to quit smoking through a new programme funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The new stop smoking service offers patients access to nicotine replacement products and tailored support at their bedsides while they are in hospital. Those who take up the offer can also benefit from community support after they are discharged.

Nearly 70,000 people in Leeds currently smoke, and every year 700 smoking-related cancers are diagnosed in the city.

Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research, Services and Policy at Yorkshire Cancer Research said:

“Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. This new programme will reach huge numbers of people with the support they need to quit smoking for good, significantly reducing their risk of dying from a wide range of smoking-related cancers and diseases.”

The benefits of quitting smoking, including an increase in energy, easier breathing and improved lung function and circulation, can be noticed within days of stopping. After one year, the risk of heart attack halves and after 10 years, the risk of lung cancer falls to half that of someone who smokes.

Five Stop Smoking Advisors funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research are currently working across the Trust, including in the Respiratory and Cardiology wards, to ensure all those who smoke receive the very best support.

In-patients identified as smokers receive a bedside visit from an advisor and are provided with advice within a day of being admitted. If they agree to receive support, they are then provided with tailored support and nicotine replacement products, encouraged to set a quit date and offered follow-up support on discharge.

The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield will be evaluating data from the service to identify the impact and effectiveness of the programme and how it might be rolled out to other hospital trusts in Yorkshire and beyond.

Hamish McLure, Chief Medical Officer from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said:

“Smoking causes numerous health problems and adds pressure to NHS services which could be avoided. Having the Stop Smoking Advisors working within our hospitals means that we are able to support our patients at a time when they are most motivated to take positive action on their health.

"By offering this service, we can start our patients on their journey to stopping smoking, and ensure that they have the appropriate support in place when they are discharged to achieve their goal of stopping for good. This in turn will benefit the NHS who will see less people admitted as a result of smoking-related disease and complications.”