We are a Smokefree Trust.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust went smokefree in January 2007. This means that smoking and vaping is prohibited in all areas of Trust, including all buildings, doorways, grounds and car parks.
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.
Our Smokefree service is free, friendly and can massively boost your chances of quitting for good. The NHS Staff Smokefree Service has specifically been set up to support current NHS staff to abstain from smoking whilst at work and/or to quit smoking altogether. Our Service is staffed by expert Specialist Stop Smoking Practitioners who can provide a range of proven methods to help you quit.
They’ll give you accurate information and advice, as well as professional support, during the first few months of you stopping smoking.
• NHS staff qualify for free nicotine replacement therapy for up to 12 weeks.
• The Service will also provide an in-house 12-week behavioural change support programme.
• All NHS staff who smoke will be entitled to use 30 minutes of paid work time to attend their first stop smoking clinic appointment and subsequent follow up appointments throughout their programme.
• Staff not ready to quit smoking will still have access to free nicotine replacement therapy to help them abstain during working hours.
You’ll normally be offered a one-to-one appointment with a Practitioner but may also be offered a virtual (Teams) or telephone appointment on your needs and preference. If attending face to face clinics isn’t convenient for you then we also have digital app support 24/7.
Using both treatment and specialist support is proven to give you the best chance of stopping smoking.
The majority of people who see a Practitioner will get through the first month after quitting without smoking a cigarette.
Overall, you’re up to 3 times more likely to stop smoking for good if you use a combination of stop smoking treatment and receive support from an NHS Stop Smoking Service.
At your first meeting with a Practitioner, you’ll talk about why you smoke and why you want to quit, as well as any attempts you’ve made to quit in the past. You’ll also be able to decide on a quit date.
You’ll be offered a breath test, which shows the level of carbon monoxide – a poisonous gas in cigarette smoke – in your body.
You don’t need to be sure you want to quit or have a quit plan in mind before this meeting.
You can use the time to talk your situation through with the Practitioner without making a commitment. If you do decide to quit, the Practitioner can help you form an action plan and set a quit date, usually in a week or so.
At your first session, you’ll also discuss any NHS-endorsed stop smoking treatments available to help you. These are nicotine replacement products (including patches, gum, lozenges, inhalators and mouth sprays).
No one is forced to use treatment, but we’ll encourage it because the results are better. We can help you decide which type of treatment is right for you and how to use it.
We will directly supply you with the treatment before you leave.
If you want to use an e-cigarette to help you quit, you will get advice and support from our Specialist Stop Smoking Practitioners to give you the best chance of success.
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. (People who smoke an average of 20 a day spend 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 of being smokefree).
It’s never too late to stop smoking, even if you have a long-term condition, such as heart or lung disease.
Whilst 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 the better chance you have of preventing the onset of diseases, stroke, vascular disease and respiratory disease (e.g. COPD) and a whole range of cancers.
For further information or to self-refer please contact us on the routes below:
T. 0808 196 4324
E. bfwh.smokingcessation@bfwh.nhs.uk
W: https://www.bfwh.nhs.uk/our-services/stop-smoking-service/
X: @smokefreeBPL
