Barts Health is a smoke-free health provider. This means that smoking or the use of electronic cigarettes is not permitted anywhere on our sites or grounds.
That includes all of our hospital and health centre buildings, as well as their grounds, doorways and entrances. We also ask you respectfully not to smoke when hospital staff visit your home; whilst staff are in your home it is important their working environment remains smoke-free.
As a healthcare provider, this ensures we’re protecting you, our other patients, visitors and staff from the health harms of smoking.
Tobacco causes real health harms
Smoking and use of other tobacco products should be a concern for everyone.
Smoking damages almost every organ in the body and increases the risk of contracting numerous illnesses. The harmful substances in tobacco smoke spread to your brain, heart, and other organs within 10 seconds of your first puff.
Not many people who smoke realise they are also twice as likely to lose their sight compared to those who don’t smoke.
Tobacco also causes harm to others who may not smoke. When smoking a cigarette (or roll-up, pipe or cigar), most of the smoke goes into the air where others can breathe it in. Breathing in this smoke, commonly known as passive smoking or second-hand smoking, raises your chances of developing the same health problems as smokers. Babies and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of second-hand smoke, increasing risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
How to go tobacco free
Going tobacco or smoke free can be difficult if you go alone. However, support is on hand and will make you more likely to stop.
There are a range of stop smoking treatments that can help you, a patient, a colleague, or someone else you know to remain tobacco free.
If you currently use tobacco products and are staying in our hospitals, you will be offered nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). NRT is a medication used to help reduce withdrawal effects when you stop intaking tobacco by providing you with a low level of nicotine without the dangerous chemicals. They are considered safe and effective for staying tobacco free, and have been extensively tested before being licensed for use.
Examples of NRT include patches, nasal sprays, lozenges, inhalators and tablets.
Behavioural support provides an additional method to help people stop using tobacco. Often paired with NRT (or other stop smoking medicines on prescription), behavioural support can come in the form of:
Advice and counselling;
Consistent monitoring;
Information on methods to quit
The benefits of doing so;
Developing a personalised plan to meet the smoker’s preferences
Behavioural support has been shown to greatly increase a person’s chances to stop smoking for six months or longer, and can be a vital component in quitting.
Free and friendly support is available
While accessing our services at Barts Health, speak to a healthcare professional to get advice on stop smoking treatments and information on services you can access for further support.
