Although the number of people who smoke is falling, around 18% of adults do and 207,000 children in the UK start smoking each year. In the Yorks and Humber region 51 children start every day.
Our Lead midwife, public health, Kate Heighway, pictured during a visit to see her baby nephew, Finlay, said: " As health professionals we all have a duty of care to patients to give them advice about smoking. If the Breathe 2025 campaign is successful then there should be less admissions with smoking-related illness in the future. This will save the NHS a lot of money!"
Read on to find out ecigs, Breathe 2025 and how we can support people who want to quit.
How can we help people who want to stop smoking in Calderdale?
Yorkshire Smokefree offer a comprehensive service to help people stop smoking. The Calderdale base is at Laura Mitchell Health Centre in Halifax. Referrals can be made over the phone (01422 262373) and patients can refer themselves or access a support package directly via the website. Maternity services staff can make referrals via the patient’s record on Athena EPR by selecting ‘referral to Smoking Cessation Midwife.
http://calderdale.yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/
How can we help people who want to stop smoking in Kirklees?
Some GP practices, Pharmacies and Community Organisations are delivering smoking cessation support to people in Kirklees who are motivated to quit. The list of smoking cessation providers can be accessed via the Kirklees website using the following address - http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/health-and-well-being/alcohol-drugs-and-smoking.aspx
E cigarettes?
An expert independent evidence review published on 6th February by Public Health England concludes that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful to health than tobacco and have the potential to help smokers quit smoking.
Key findings of the review include:
- the current best estimate is that e-cigarettes are around 95% less harmful than smoking
- nearly half the population (44.8%) don’t realise e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking
- there is no evidence so far that e-cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers
Breathe 2025 - is a campaign which aims to ensure that our children grow up in a place of clean air and bright futures.
They say for every death caused by smoking, approximately 20 smokers are suffering from a smoking related disease. This makes smoking the single greatest cause of early deaths and disease in the UK. And it begins with our children.
207,000 children in the UK start smoking each year. Every day, in Yorkshire and the Humber alone, 51 children aged 11-15 years, take up smoking. Find out more and make your pledge to support the campaign at: http://breathe2025.org.uk/the-facts/