quit smoking

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Hard-hitting new video to increase support offered to people who want to quit smoking


No smoking

No smoking

Smoking remains the biggest single preventable cause of death in the UK and the biggest single cause of respiratory disease, however, almost two thirds of those that smoke say that they would like to quit.

Health care professionals working within a hospital setting are ideally placed to offer, encourage and arrange support that people who smoke need in order to have the best chance of quitting.

Unfortunately, many health care professionals are unsure of how to ask or help patients and this lack of knowledge and confidence can prevent a patient receiving the expert help they need.


‘Emily’s Story’ was filmed on location at Glenfield Hospital in the Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit. It tells the story through the eyes of a young girl whose father is attending a hospital pre-operative assessment followed by an admission for a routine procedure and the subsequent fatal consequences that the missed opportunity to intervene has. We are then lucky enough to ‘rewind’ the scenario to demonstrate that a small change in the consultation has the potential to deliver a much more rewarding, positive outcome.

Sanjay Agrawal, Consultant Respiratory Intensivist for Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “We are really pleased with the authenticity of this video and hope it will be used across the country to raise awareness and develop the skills of all healthcare staff to enable them to carry out a brief, 30 second intervention with all patients who smoke to improve their quality of life.”

The film has been endorsed by the British Thoracic Society (BTS) and National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT), and was launched at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference (UKNSCC) in June 2015 to widespread acclaim.

Emily’s Story is available to watch on Leicester’s Hospitals’ Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/128589698

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Want to quit smoking? Check out these brilliant tips from Dr. Fiona Adshead

Give up smoking!

Give up smoking!

Bupa recently surveyed 2,202 people with almost half of those surveyed saying they believe that that they were influenced to start smoking or continue smoking by television and movie actors who smoke on screen, the report by Bupa calls on the global movie industry to take greater responsibility in promoting an anti-smoking message by portraying it more realistically.

The survey conducted across Europe, the Middle East and Australasia found that moviegoers just didn’t believe that characters showing no outward signs of the physical addiction caused by smoking, being short of breath or the life-threatening illness like cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Furthermore, over half (54%) say that the movie industry goes so far as to actually glamorise smoking when the inconvenient truth is that one in two people who smoke die because of it.

Dr. Fiona Adshead; Chief Wellbeing and Public Health Officer at Bupa talks though the research below

If you’re interested in stopping smoking, take note of our tips below. There is evidence to show that using a stop smoking service, which provides either one-to-one or group support, can greatly increase your chance of succeeding.

Whatever method you use to quit smoking, there are plenty of things you can do to try to make it easier.

• Find a temporary substitute for smoking, such as chewing gum or drinking a glass of water each time you want a cigarette.
• Change your routine to stay away from situations where you would usually have a cigarette. If you usually associate smoking with socialising, you might find it easier to stop if you don’t go to the pub for the first couple of weeks. If you smoke at work, it might be helpful if you tell your work colleagues that you’re stopping so they don’t invite you out for cigarette breaks during the day.
• Know your triggers and stay away from them if possible. So if you usually have a cigarette with a glass of wine in the evening, try having a different drink or going out for a short walk instead.
• Make a list of the reasons why you want to stop and carry it with you. Read through it when you have a craving and remind yourself why you’re stopping.
• Set targets and reward yourself when you reach them. Why not save up the money you would have spent on cigarettes and use it to go out for dinner or even to pay for a holiday?
• Remember that the only reason you feel better when you have a cigarette is because you’re feeding your withdrawal symptoms.

Your body gets rid of nicotine in as little as 24 hours after your last cigarette. This means that your withdrawal symptoms can be intense for the first few days, but you will feel better after the third or fourth day. Trying to cut down gradually will increase how long this withdrawal process lasts.

Something else to consider is speaking to your GP who may be able to prescribe you a medicine to help you stop smoking. Always ask him or her for advice and read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine. These medicines are most likely to be helpful if you’re also taking part in a support programme to help you stop smoking. Although you may get some temporary side-effects, it’s worth reminding yourself that the possible long-term health risks of continuing to smoke are far worse and the long-term benefits of quitting are huge.

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No Smoking Day 2014 – Like and share to show your support


March the 12th is National No Smoking Day.

As a point of full disclosure I’m an former smoker who loved tobacco while I still smoked.

That being said giving up the wretched things has improve my cardiovascular health no end and put more money in my pocket.  So giving up smoking is, literally a win win situation.

Out of duty to the organisers who run one of the most unimpressive web sites I’ve ever seen I offer you one of their graphics to download and use.  No smoking infographic

We have produced our own graphic for  you to share to show your support for No Smoking Day 2014.

Finally as a way of helping other to quit the habit it would be great if you share with our readers the smoking cessation methods you used.

Many thanks in advance

No smoking day

No smoking day


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Want to stop smoking? Swap tobacco for nicotine’, advises new guidance

smoking banDepartment of Health publish new guidelines for “Tobacco Harm Reduction”

Struggling to quit? ‘Swap tobacco for nicotine’, advises new guidance from NICE

Today sees the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publish new guidelines for tobacco harm reduction in the UK.  This world first, recognises that some people may not be able to quit smoking in one step.

 

At the heart of tobacco harm reduction is the concept that the flexible and long-term use of nicotine is always better for smokers and people around them than continuing to smoke tobacco. Experts believe this will provide a significant opportunity to help many more smokers to quit.

 

Smoking remains the single biggest preventable cause of early death and illness in the UK, with Dr Chris Steeleone in five adults (around 10 Million) being smokers[i]. Approximately half of persistent cigarette smokers are killed by their habit and a quarter are still in middle age[ii].  Tobacco control measures have led to a decrease in smoking prevalence but the decline in smoking rates has lost momentum in recent years with no significant change in the prevalence of smoking in the last six years.[iii]

 

The annual cost to the NHS attributable to smoking is estimated at around £2.7bn[iv]. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, with recent figures published in the Annals of Oncologyshowing the number of lung cancer cases in the UK – particularly among women – is still rising.[v]

 

To date, stop smoking services have been available to those smokers who want to quit in one step with, or without, the help of an NRT (such as gums or patches). The amount of NRT offered varies but tends to range from four – 12 weeks on prescription, with some smokers receiving the support from a Stop Smoking advisor.

 

The new tobacco harm reduction recommendations understand that the journey to quitting is different for every smoker. It no longer needs to be ‘succeed or fail’ by a set deadline. The journey can now involve flexible and long-term use of NRT. This will give healthcare professionals the opportunity to bring more people into the stop smoking services and make inroads into smoking prevalence.

 

Watch our video with GP and stop smoking expert, Dr Chris Steele, to find out more about the new Tobacco Harm Reduction guidelines and how they could ‘revolutionise’ the way the UK tackles its smoking problem

 

Key Statistics

  • Adult smokers in the UK in 2010:10 Million
  • Recent figures show the number of lung cancer cases in the UK – particularly among women – is still rising
  • Smoking is the single biggest cause of social inequalities in death rates between the richest and poorest in our communities
  • Approx. half of persistent cigarette smokers are killed by their habit—a quarter while still in middle age (35–69 years)
  • 79,100 deaths (adults aged 35 and over) in 2011
  • On average, cigarette smokers die about 10 years younger than non-smokers
  • Switching 1% of smokers a year from tobacco to less harmful nicotine could save around 60,000 lives in only 10 years
  • Smoking cessation is the most cost-effective health intervention in the NHS and one of the most effective ways to prevent early deaths

The financial burden

According to the Policy Exchange, the annual costs to society from smoking are £13.74 billion[vi]

  • Cost of treating smokers on the NHS (£2.7 billion)
  • Smoking related house fires (£507 million)
  • Loss in productivity from smoking breaks (£2.9 billion) and increased absenteeism (£2.5 billion)
  • Loss in economic output from the deaths of smokers (£4.1 billion) and passive smokers (£713 million)
  • Cleaning up cigarette butts (£342 million)

[i] NHS, Statistics on Smoking in England, 2012

[ii] Doll, R. et al. BMJ; 2004;328:1519–27

[iii] General Lifestyle Survey Overview. Office of National Statistics 2011

[iv]Policy Exchange – Cough up: Balancing tobacco income and costs in society, March 2010

[v]M. Malvezzi, P. Bertuccio, F. Levi, C. La Vecchia and E. Negri, European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2013. Annals of Oncology, February 2013

[vi] Policy Exchange – Cough up: Balancing tobacco income and costs in society, March 2010