Inpatient Stop Smoking Service

The Trust has in place a smokefree policy. The purpose of the smokefree policy is to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of all patients, employees, visitors and contractors.

Smoking puts patients at risk of complications and delays their recovery after hospital procedures. Smokefree hospitals and grounds creates a smokefree environment for people trying to stop smoking and removes triggers that cause many to smoke or relapse to smoking.

Stopping smoking is one of the best things people can do to improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Research shows that most people who come into hospital who smoke, want to stop.

But quitting on your own is hard. It’s hard because smoking is an addiction to the nicotine in tobacco – an addiction that often starts in childhood.

We now recognise that smoking is a chronic, relapsing medical condition not a lifestyle choice, which should be treated just like any other disease or illness.

Fortunately, there are very effective treatments and, through the BTH Inpatient Smokefree Service, these will now be offered to you, along with stop smoking support, when you come into hospital.

So, if you’re a patient who smokes, we’re here to help.

If you are a patient who smokes and are due to come into hospital, our Inpatient Smoking Practitioners will visit you and discuss the support available to you while you are in hospital.

We want you to feel comfortable while you are with us. We understand that many smokers are likely to feel uncomfortable in a non-smoking environment. Therefore, all patients who smoke will receive a visit from Specialist Stop Smoking Practitioner, who will carry out a smoking assessment and offer Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to help alleviate your nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms

The Stop Smoking Practitioners will support you whilst in hospital and can offer a referral to our Community Stop Smoking Services for those who wish to continue their quit journey when they return home after being discharged.

You can watch a short video here featuring members of the team introducing the service:

Find out what happens when you use the service by watching this video:

On discharge, patients will receive one week’s supply of prescribed Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).

Patients can be referred to either: the Blackpool Tobacco Addiction Service (Blackpool residents) or Quit Squad (Fylde, Wyre and Lancs residents) for stop smoking support in the community. (Click here for information on accessing these services.)

Patients who set a quit date will receive up to 12-weeks support including Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and one-to-one support to increase their chances of quitting.

There are many benefits associated with stopping smoking and everyone has their own reason to quit. Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do to improve your overall health and boost your finances:

• improve your mental wellbeing by reducing anxiety and discomfort caused by withdrawal symptoms
• lower your risk of getting a long-term smoking-related disease (such as heart disease, cancer, COPD, high blood pressure and stroke)
• have more money to spend on you and your family (on average a 20-a-day smoker spends more than £3,500 a year)
• get health benefits shortly after stopping smoking (e.g. your blood pressure will show improvements after just 20 minutes smokefree)

Click on the links below for information from the NHS on the benefits of quitting smoking for you and those around you. It’s full of information you might need to make your quit attempt a success.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/

It’s never too late to stop smoking, even if you have a long-term condition, such as heart or lung disease.

Whist it isn’t possible to reverse the damage caused by smoking, you’ll gain numerous health benefits and feel better if you stop smoking.

If you’re over 35, the risk of developing a long-term smoking-related health condition increases. The good news is that the sooner you quit you’ll prevent the onset of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, vascular disease and respiratory disease (e.g. COPD) and a whole range of cancers.

Within days of quitting smoking you’ll experience:

• a drop in heart rate
• carbon monoxide and oxygen levels in blood return to normal (similar to those who’ve never smoked)
• your sense of taste and smell improving

Within weeks you’ll benefit from:

• a reduction in the risk of sudden death from a heart attack
• improvement in lung function
• less coughing and shortness of breath
• fewer severe asthma attacks
• Within a few months you’ll experience:
• an improvement in symptoms of chronic bronchitis (phlegm, wheezing, shortness of breath)
• less risk of ulcers

Benefits within a year of having quit include:

• risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) cut by half
• an improvement in lung function among people with mild to moderate COPD

Giving-up smoking could really change your life. The BTH Inpatient Smokefree Service can provide effective one-to-one stop smoking support. Find out how we can help you quit for good or reduce the harm from smoking.