In November we renewed our commitment to reducing smoking
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust reinforced its commitment to reducing smoking with a bold new local campaign throughout November.
It ran ‘No Smoking November’ across all its sites, including Croydon University Hospital and its many community services.
Dozens of new posters and banners explained that smoking is not permitted on any of the Trust’s grounds, witht he aim to reduce the frequency of smoking near patients. The Trust already had a no-smoking policy and some no-smoking signs, but these are now more visible.
They also encouraged people to make use of its Live Well Stop Smoking Service (available on 020 8401 3083 and ch-tr.justlivewell@nhs.net). This can be used by patients, staff, visitors and the general public. Its small team of dedicated staff has helped more than 1,500 local people over the past year (more than ever before), who are four times more likely to quit smoking as a result.
Teams also helped find smokers on-site and offer them help to quit.
Two people talk about how the Trust’s Live Well Stop Smoking Service helped them:
David Poole, a hospital patient aged 79 from South Norwood, said:
“I started smoking when I was only 14 and later was on 60 cigarettes a day. After I developed chest infections and COPD, I got help and successfully quit. My local pharmacist found a great drug that worked brilliantly for me, while the Trust’s excellent team gave me a check-up every two months and inspires me to stay smoke free. Everyone’s solution is different and these experts will find the answer that’s right for you.”
Vijay Kumar, an Endoscopy Admissions Coordinator who works at Croydon University Hospital, age 62 from Mitcham, said:
“After years of trying, I finally managed to give up - thanks to help from the Trust. Their team introduced me to a nicotine mouth spray and it worked great for me, allowing me to stay off cigarettes for long enough to shake the addiction. Now I don’t need the spray or cigarettes and I’m healthier now. I would say to any smoker that you can ask the team for help and they’ll find what works best for you. It takes effort to quit but it’s worth it.”
The risks of smoking are well established:
- Second hand smoke has direct risk to others. Living with someone who smokes increases your own risk of cancer by 20%.
- Children who have parents who smoke are three times more likely to smoke as adults.
The impact of smoking in Croydon continues to reduce year-on-year, thanks to a range of measures including growing awareness of the health risks. Authoritative figures published by NHS Digital* show the extent of the reduction:
- The number of people, per 100,000 in Croydon, who are aged 35 and over and died because of smoking has fallen to 215 in the past year – compared to 234 in 2018 and 249 in 2017.
- The numbers of people, per 100,000 in Croydon, who are aged 35 and over and are admitted to hospital because of smoking has fallen to 1,186 in the past year – compared to 1,390 in 2018 and 1,531 in 2017.
David Garrett, an Associate Director of Operations at the Trust and its lead on the campaign, said:
“This is all about supporting smokers as directly and nicely as we can, and protecting the health of everyone who comes here.
“It’s great that smoking is having a much smaller impact in Croydon than it did years ago, however it’s still devastating to many who do smoke. It’s also bad for anyone breathing it in, especially if they are already unwell. So we created No Smoking November to have a big impact and we will continue to support people to stop smoking.”
Pictured is our patient Paul Taylor in hospital receiving nicotine replacement patches and lozenges from Mita Ullah (of our Live Well Stop Smoking Service) and Matthew Kershaw (our Trust Chief Executive).