Treating Tobacco Dependency Service

Why is AWP Smoke-Free?

AWP is a Smoke-Free Trust, which means that service users, staff and visitors cannot smoke on any AWP properties, vehicles and the hospital grounds. Vaping (using e-cigarettes) is allowed in the grounds and inpatients can vape within the ward gardens.

All NHS sites are now Smoke-Free. As a healthcare provider we have a responsibility to promote health and wellbeing. Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in the UK. One in two smokers will die from a smoking-related disease. There is also increasing evidence that smoking can negatively impact on our mental health.

What the Treating Tobacco Dependency Service provide?

We are here to support smokers to quit smoking whilst in hospital to improve their quality of life.

Our service is available to service users admitted to our wards who smoke / smoke and vape.

The service can also refer service users onto community based Stop Smoking Services after you are discharged from hospital.

All our friendly advisors have experience working in mental health.

How do we work?

The service is available to support smokers to quit whilst in hospital with the We provide regular 1:1 meetings and Stop Smoking Medication, such as Nicotine Replacement Therapy
(NRT).

The service can also support smokers looking to quit, by making the switch to vaping (using an e-cigarette), which is 95% safer than smoking. We can also refer service users onto community based Stop Smoking Services after you are discharged from hospital.

How to access the service

All service users will be asked about their smoking status when they are admitted to hospital.

As AWP is Smoke-Free if you are addicted to nicotine you will be offered support to manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms. For example, Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

If you are a smoker / smoke tobacco and vape, the Treating Tobacco Dependency Service will offer to visit and meet with you.

During the meeting, the advisor will ask you some questions and explain what we can offer. You can then decide if you’d like to meet again for ongoing support or not.

If you don’t want to meet with one of our advisors when you first come into hospital, that is fine. If you change your mind at any point during your admission, just let the ward team know and they can ask us to come and meet you.

The benefits of quitting

By itself, nicotine is a relatively harmless drug similar to caffeine. However, the remaining chemicals in tobacco are very harmful when smoked. These are the chemicals that cause
severe damage throughout the body and will often lead to premature death.

The good news is that once you stop smoking, your health improves and your body will begin to recover. There are also mental health benefits to quitting, including reduced feelings of anxiety and stress, improved mood and quality of life.

We know quitting smoking is difficult

Tobacco contains thousands of chemicals. One of these is nicotine, which is highly addictive and can cause very unpleasant cravings and withdrawal symptoms, when you
reduce or stop accessing nicotine. Our advisors understand this and can support you every step of the way.

What happens when you quit?

The sooner you quit, the sooner you'll notice changes to your body and health. Look at what happens when you quit for good.

Resources

NHS Quit smoking - Better Heath website: https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
Personal Quit Plan, a self-help tool that can help plan a quit and access the right support
NHS Smokefree app, free to download. Provides daily support, helps track progress, and money saved