As an NHS body we have a duty to be a health-promoting organisation, improving people’s physical health as well as their mental health. This is why we are a smokefree Trust, and ask people who use services, staff, and all of our visitors not to smoke tobacco-based products on our premises.
Anyone staying in our hospitals who is a smoker will be offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). This includes a combination of sprays, lozenges, patches, gum and other items to suit their needs. We aim to make sure anyone arriving at hospital who is a smoker is offered NRT within 30 minutes of arrival and their care plan includes support for stopping smoking.
We have Smoking Cessation Advisors working in our Trust to support people who use services, their families and carers and staff to quit smoking and to sign post people to the specialist stop smoking services listed below
It's widely known that stopping smoking improves our physical health, but it's also proven to boost mental health and wellbeing. In fact, smokers are also more likely than non-smokers to develop depression over time and smokers who have existing mental health conditions need higher doses of some antipsychotic medicines and antidepressants because smoking interferes with the way these medicines work.When people stop smoking, studies show:
- anxiety, depression and stress levels are lower
- quality of life and positive mood improve
- the dosage of some medicines used to treat mental health problems can be reduced
Most smokers say they want to stop, but some continue because smoking seems to relieve stress and anxiety – however the relief from smoking is only temporary and in fact it's the effects of smoking itself that are likely to have caused the anxiety in the first place.
E-cigarettes are commonly used as a tool to cut down and quit smoking. Evidence shows they are substantially less harmful than cigarettes. Some types of e-cigarettes are allowed on our sites.
Please check with the local care team/manager about where you can use your e-cigarette and which types are allowed.
Smokefree Hampshire
- In Hampshire services are provided by Smokefree Hampshire.
- You can self-refer online here or call 01264 563039 (Mon-Friday 9am-5pm).
Support is also available through the NHS smokefree service online at www.nhs.uk/smokefree or by phoning 0300 123 1044 (free). The service is available Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday to Sunday 11am to 4pm
For more information, visit Take steps NOW to stop smoking - NHS (www.nhs.uk) or Stopping smoking (southampton.gov.uk)