Stoptober: How we’re helping thousands of patients to quit smoking

sarah.howson3@nhs.netNews

The Tobacco Dependency team and Hull Addiction Services working together as part of Stoptober
Did you know that if you come into our hospitals for care and you’d like to quit smoking, we have dedicated teams to help you do it? Working with both acute patients and parents-to-be accessing maternity care, our Tobacco Dependency teams across NHS Humber Health Partnership are on hand to support you on the journey to becoming smoke free. Already, the teams have helped more than 7,300 patients across northern Lincolnshire, Hull and the East Riding to stop smoking. We know that it’s easy to slip back into old habits so once you’ve taken those first – and let’s face it, hardest – steps, and we don’t want all that hard work to go to waste, so we have now launched a new initiative to help you stay on track. Pamela Parkinson, one of our Tobacco Dependency Clinical Leads, said: “When you leave our care, we want to help to give you the best possible chance of making this a sustainable change, as we know it can be difficult once you’re home and back into your old routine. “That’s why we have worked with our Pharmacy teams to come up with Discharge Cards, which will be given to you along with your medication, which has details of local support available if you feel like you’re tempted to go back to smoking. “These will be given to anyone who’s been on NRT (Nicotine Replacement Treatment) or has engaged with our teams to try and stop smoking.” As part of Stoptober, we’re also running and supporting events at our sites and across our communities, to help spread the word about the benefits of being smoke free. These include:
  • The Healthy Lifestyles team will be at the Ironstone Centre today (Wednesday, 2 October) from 11.30am to 2pm, offering free carbon monoxide testing and advice. They’ll also be back at the centre again from 10am to 12pm on Thursday, 10 October.
  • Hull Addiction Service will be manning stands in both the Nourish and Nightingales restaurants at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital until the second week of October, where you can discuss the support available for substance misuse, including smoking.
  • The Healthy Lifestyles team will be offering free Carbon Monoxide readings and advice on all things quitting smoking at Brigg Farmers’ Market from 10am to 2pm on Thursday, 3 October and 9am to 12pm on both Thursday 17 October and Thursday 24 October.
  • The Healthy Lifestyles team will also be offering free carbon monoxide readings and advice at Ashby High Street Market. They’ll be there from 9am to 12pm on Thursday 3 October, Thursday 10 October and Thursday 17 October.
  • Friday, 18 October – Smoke Free Hull will be available to speak to in the lobby at Hull Royal Infirmary from 9am to 1pm.
  • Wednesday, 23 October – Smoke Free Hull will be available to speak to in Nightingales Restaurant, Castle Hill, from 9am to 1pm.
There are also Stop Smoking walk-in services available across North East Lincolnshire, which take place every week.
  • The Fusion Centre, Ladysmith Road, Grimsby – Tuesdays from 4pm to 8pm
  • The Roxton Practice, Pilgrim Primary Care Centre, Pelham Road, Immingham – Tuesdays 3pm to 6.30pm
  • Stirling Medical Centre, Stirling Street, Grimsby – Tuesdays 10am to 1pm
  • Freshney Green Medical Centre, Sorrel Road, Grimsby – Wednesdays from 1.30pm to 6pm
  • Freeman Street Market, Freeman Street, Grimsby – Fridays from 9am to 3pm.