World No Tobacco Day – Meet our new Tobacco Dependency Team
To mark World No Tobacco Day, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust is taking the next step on the road to supporting more patients who smoke to making positives steps to improve their health.
All patients admitted to the Caludon Centre and St Michael’s Hospital will now be asked if they smoke. Those who do smoke will now be offered free Nicotine replacement products (NRT) on arrival to help manage their cravings whilst in hospital. As well as supporting the aims of our smokefree site, it has been proven that some mental health medication can be reduced if a person gives up smoking.
Our Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service includes a team of Tobacco Dependency Advisors who will support ward staff to manage the cravings of smokers while in hospital.
Garry Fraser, Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service Lead, said: “We want every patient to have the very best outcome in our hospitals and we know that a patient’s overall health improves greatly when they stop smoking.
“As part of our smokefree commitment, patients and staff will be given the tools and support they need to help them stop smoking.”
To support Gary in his work, two new Tobacco Dependency Advisor’s joined the team in April. We welcome Oluwaseyi Inumidun Alli (known as Alli) and Folasayo Oladejo. Together they will be working with patients in the Caludon Centre and St Michael’s Hospital.
Tobacco Dependency Treatment Services are a commitment in the NHS Long Term Plan to ensure that inpatients in hospital are screened for smoking and offered treatment to stop as part of routine care while in hospital.
- Smoking is still the biggest preventable cause of death and illness in England, with around 506,000 hospital admissions a year. Smokers on average lose 10 years of life compared to non-smokers from tobacco caused diseases.
- Smoking causes 16 types of cancer including lung cancer, COPD, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, diabetes and dementia.
- Smoking weakens the immune system and makes smokers more vulnerable to infectious diseases like flu and Covid.
- At least 1 in every 2 long term smokers will die from a tobacco-related disease.