Report reveals North-East pregnant smoker rates falling faster than national average

The British Thoracic Society (BTS) found the North-East’s NHS trusts had cut rates of pregnant women smoking by around 33 per cent since 2009 – at a faster rate than the national average.

A babyClear initiative overseen by Fresh, the region’s drive to tackle smoking addiction, encourages women not to expose unborn babies to smoke during pregnancy.

In the North-East, smoking-related diseases cause 101,600 hospital admissions and outpatient appointments annually, as well as 445,500 GP appointments per year.

The report recommended that despite progress being made within the region to reduce the number of smokers, more needs to be done to relieve pressure on stretched NHS services.

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said: “Every year thousands of people in the North-East are admitted to hospital to be treated for diseases such as heart disease, cancer and respiratory disorders caused by smoking.

“Given the scale of the harm caused by smoking and the pressures on the NHS, it is clear that hospitals must play a leading role in supporting patients to quit right from the time they are admitted.

“Many people who smoke see it as an addiction and quitting smoking should be seen as an essential part of a patient’s treatment. That will not only save lives but reduce the costs to the NHS.

“We have seen some fantastic examples of work here in the North-East helping women who are pregnant and supporting people with mental health problems to stop.

“Our NHS staff are passionate about health and we need to support them to be supporting smokers to quit right across the system.”

High smoking rates and diagnoses of smoking-related illnesses in people with mental health problems has led the region’s two mental health trusts to implement NICE guidance to encourage more people to quit.

The BTS report recommends that hospitals should offer a Nicotine Replacement Therapy prescription to patients after being admitted.