Publish date: 8 March 2023
To support national No Smoking Day, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Foundation Trust (MCHFT) is relaunching its Smoke Free Sites campaign across all its locations, helping to ensure those who need support can access it.
Smoking is the leading preventable cause of socioeconomic inequalities in health across the UK, accounting for around half the difference in life expectancy between the richest and poorest members of our community. Smokers from more deprived communities in the UK disproportionately bear the burden of the health harms of combustible tobacco use.
Nearly a fifth of all patients admitted to the Trust’s Leighton Hospital currently smoke. Sadly, people who smoke lose on average 10 years of life - for every four days a person smokes over the age of 35, they lose approximately one day of life. Cigarette smoking is also associated with 16 types of cancer and it at least triples the chance of having a heart attack or a stroke.
For these reasons the Trust is relaunching its Smoke Free Sites campaign, raising awareness of local resources and boosting visibility both in person and online, with increased signage throughout the Trust’s physical sites and signposting to help on their website. In recognition of the national day, the dedicated MCHFT Smoke Free team will be providing new resources for staff across the Trust today for use in wards, services, and departments to further support the campaign.
In addition, the Trust’s Tobacco Dependency Treatment Service - referred to as The CURE Team – has been developed heavily over the last few years. While initially set up to treat patients who were admitted into hospital and smoke, the service was extended to support both in-patients and out-patients, as well as relatives and members of staff.
Further information about the campaign and links to local support can be found on the Trust website.
