University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) expands its stop smoking service across the trust. Funded by Birmingham City Council Public Health, the service is open to all Birmingham residents who attend UHB outpatient sites but with particular focus on respiratory, pre-operative assessment and cancer services, where stopping smoking can significantly improve treatment outcomes and recovery.
The service is now available across Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital. It launches at a time when smoking continues to have a significant impact on health across the city. Data shows an estimated 10.2% of adults in Birmingham smoke, while local hospital data shows thousands of admissions each year continue to be linked to smoking-related illnesses, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Patients will receive specialist behavioural support alongside free stop smoking treatments, including nicotine replacement therapy and vapes. Support can be provided face-to-face or over the phone, with regular follow-up throughout a quit attempt, making it as easy as possible for people to access the help they need.
Councillor Nosheen Khalid, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “Smoking is still one of the biggest drivers of ill health and hospital admissions in Birmingham. For a lot of people, the hardest part of quitting isn't wanting to stop, it's knowing where to turn for help. This service puts that support right in front of them, in hospital, exactly when quitting can make a big difference to health outcomes.
"By funding this service directly into UHB's outpatient pathways, we're removing the barrier of people having to seek out help separately, and I'd encourage anyone eligible to get in touch.”
David Thickett, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Lead for Tobacco Addiction Cure Team, University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation NHS Trust, said: “Smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of disease, contributing to cardiovascular and respiratory illness, cancer and poorer outcomes following medical and surgical treatment. Smoking cessation can deliver substantial clinical benefits, including improved treatment response, reduced complications and better long-term health outcomes.
“By integrating specialist smoking cessation support into our outpatient services and NHS staff clinic, we aim to make evidence-based interventions more accessible to patients and colleagues, helping them achieve sustained abstinence and better health.”
Patients can be referred by a UHB clinical team or self-refer directly to the service by emailing quitsmoking@uhb.nhs.uk.
To be eligible, patients must:
Residents can find out more about quitting smoking at birmingham.gov.uk/stopsmoking
