More than 10,000 kick the habit as smoking figures drop to all-time low

More than 10,000 smokers in South Tyneside and Sunderland have been helped to quit by specialist NHS teams, new figures show.

- by Tom Patterson

The figures emerged three years after the launch of a scheme which saw smoking cessation teams at all 10 hospital trusts across the region to help people beat tobacco dependency.

Health chiefs say the initiative-The North East and North Cumbria Smokefree NHS Programme-is saving lives and preventing thousands of hospital admissions.

Since its launch in 2022, around 95,845 people have been identified as smokers when admitted to hospital or at booking for maternity patients-with some 67,900 referred to in-house help with quitting or temporary abstinence whilst in hospital.

This work is part of the NHS 10 Year Plan to reduce the harm caused by smoking-the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the region-and help people stay healthy, reducing pressure on NHS services.