Fresh, the North East and North Cumbria Tobacco Control Office, have once again released their ‘Don’t Wait’ campaign.
The QUIT Team at CNTW is encouraging staff to support their patients to quit smoking this New Year.
The Team is part of the North East and North Cumbria Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service and supports inpatients within the Trust to quit smoking.
By helping patients to stop smoking this New Year, staff will be supporting them towards a life of better health. Smoking causes 16 types of cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke and COPD and also makes smokers more vulnerable to infectious diseases, such as Covid-19 and flu. When a patient stops smoking, their lungs begin to repair and they will be able to breathe easier. Going smoke free is also proven to boost mental health and leave people feeling calmer.
Dr Ruth Sharrock, a respiratory consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gateshead, says: “If you smoke the single most important thing you can do to improve your health and extend your life expectancy is to stop smoking.
“But quitting can improve your life in so many ways. It can make you feel so much better, give you more energy and help you to breathe more easily.
“Even if you have smoked for decades, it can bring you a new lease of life. It is never too late.”
By quitting, smokers can also save a significant amount of money. If you smoke 10 cigarettes a day you could save around £36 per week and as much as £1,899 in a year.
CNTW’s QUIT Team are here to support and help patients develop their own plan to quit smoking. The team’s specialist Tobacco Advisors can offer patient 12 weeks of behavioural support and discuss appropriate treatment options with them such as nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes. Staff interested in helping their patients access this service can contact The QUIT team via [email protected].
Support is also available for staff who wish to quit smoking through the NHS staff offer. Make this the year you quit for good – any staff member wishing to stop smoking will receive 12 weeks of remote behavioural support at a time convenient for you, plus 12 weeks of free NRT or a refillable E-cigarette. Staff can email [email protected], call 07980 969 259 or click here to sign up.
For more information please contact the QUIT team on [email protected]