Lives are being saved and thousands of hospital admissions prevented across Durham and Darlington three years after the launch of the Treating Tobacco Dependency Service.
Since the North East and North Cumbria Smokefree NHS Programme began, more than 95,000 patients who smoke have been identified on admission or at maternity booking, with around 68,000 referred for in-house support to quit or abstain during their hospital stay.
Smoking rates in the region are now at their lowest ever — 10.9% of adults compared to 29% in 2005, and 7.8% of pregnant women compared to 13.1% in 2020/21.
The teams, based in all 10 NHS Foundation Trusts, treat tobacco dependency as a medical condition, working across 18 clinical pathways to support patients and NHS staff alike.
Smoking still costs the region £145 million a year, with around 36,900 hospital admissions and 4,770 premature deaths annually — but the impact of the Smokefree NHS Programme is proving that change is possible.
For more information, contact our Treating Tobacco Dependency Advisors:
