Tobacco Dependency

Tobacco dependency programme

Smoking remains one of the biggest killers in this country. 64,000 people die from smoking related illnesses in England every year and it’s estimated that for every person who dies due to a smoking related illness, there are another 30 who will suffer from serious smoking related diseases.

While smoking is most associated with lung cancer, it can also cause 15 other cancers and over 100 other diseases. This means that two out of every three smokers will die due to a smoking related disease.

Tackling smoking remains the leading modifiable cause of health inequalities.

Tobacco dependence treatment is effective and improves the health and wellbeing of the person smoking and their family, as well as saving them money. Helping people tackle their tobacco dependence is a key component of the NHS Long Term Plan and forms the NHS’s contribution to wider government action to deliver the 2030 ambition for a smoke free generation. Read more on NHS England website.

The Dorset ‘CARED’ Smoking Cessation Project 

The Dorset ‘CARED’ smoking cessation project is our comprehensive secondary care treatment programme for tobacco addiction. It aims to systematically identify all active smokers admitted to our hospital and immediately provide nicotine replacement therapy for the duration of their admission. This is supplemented by a consultation with one of our Tobacco Addiction Specialist Advisers who will construct a long-term treatment plan after discharge. The term ‘CARED’ has been specifically chosen to ‘medicalise’ tobacco addiction and move away from the stigma of a lifestyle choice to disease treatment.

Smoking and hospital stay

Being in hospital is a significant event in someone’s life and people can be more open to making healthier choices. The Long-Term Plan commits to providing NHS funded tobacco dependency treatment to all inpatients who smoke, with everyone admitted overnight being able to access services.

The Tobacco Dependence Service aims to:

• Achieve a fundamental shift in day-to-day practice across all inpatient settings
• Incorporate screening of smoking status on admission
• Provide provision of brief intervention and NRT support to help inpatient to stay smoke free. 
• Promote a smoke-free hospital environment
• Provide ongoing support for smoking cessation post discharge. 

Services Provided at DCH by TTD Team (Treating Tobacco Dependency team)

The Tobacco Dependency Service at DCH has been running since May 2023 and we see around 100 to 170 patients every month. 

• Patients should be assessed by a healthcare professional after hospital admission which includes Fagerstrom assessment and Carbon Monoxide Testing, with a view of starting nicotine therapy as soon as possible to prevent withdrawal. NRT can be prescribed by the healthcare professionals who have undergone smoking cessation service training or a doctor.
• The team at DCH gets a list from business intelligence every morning. All patients who have registered as a smoker in primary care will be on the list within 24 hours of a hospital admission. 
• Also, patients can be referred by staff via email and phone to review the treatment plan and assess the patient to be smoke free following discharge. 
• The team aims to see all patients within 24 hours of admission (Mon-Fri) and do the complete assessment along with behavioural counselling. 
• The team helps patients to abstain from smoking whilst an inpatient in the hospital and support patients in their journey to quit smoking.
• As a plan, we provide NRT to patients for 14 days following discharge and refer patients to local services to continue the support. Most patients are referred to Live Well Dorset and pharmacies. 
• Patients are followed up via phone by the team 7-14 and 25-40-days following discharge.

Meet the team

Garima Kashyap – Treating Tobacco Dependency Nurse Specialist
07818047513
garima.garima@dchft.nhs.uk 
smokefree@dchft.nhs.uk 

Ness Fleming – Treating Tobacco Dependency Nurse Specialist
07818047037
vanessa.fleming@dchft.nhs.uk 

Fiona Gillespie – Treating Tobacco Dependency Nurse Specialist 
07818047037
fiona.gillespie@dchft.nhs.uk

Managing smoking on site

Since 2019, the NHS Standard Contract set out a requirement on hospital trusts to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that our hospital premises are Smoke-free at all times.  NICE Guideline PH48, Recommendation 11 calls on secondary care providers to develop a policy for smoke-free hospital grounds. It specifically recommends that providers ensure that their smoke-free implementation plans include the removal of shelters or other designated outdoor smoking areas.

Read the NHS Standard Contract.

Read the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on tobacco and preventing update, promoting quitting and treating dependence.

LiveWell Dorset

LiveWell Dorset’s team of advisors and coaches are ready to discuss stop-smoke options. Visit the LiveWell Dorset website.

Patient information leaflets

Access the tobacco dependency patient information leaflets.