Specialist teams in local hospitals have successfully reduced the percentage of women and birthing people smoking at the time of delivery from 7.5% to 5.8%.
Since it launched in February 2024, a smokefree pregnancy service has provided free support including telephone and face to face counselling, behaviour change advice, and nicotine replacement therapy to help combat smoking during pregnancy.
While the initiative, funded by NHS Mid and South Essex, runs across Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals, the challenge in Thurrock is identified as greater, with 11.2%* of those giving birth identified as smokers.
“We know how important it is for women and birthing people to stop smoking and our specialist team offers free one to one support and advice, including Nicotine Replacement Therapy. Helping pregnant smokers to quit is a vital service that is having a really positive impact resulting in healthier pregnancies and families.
Kate Miles, Lead Midwife for Smoking Cessation, (Basildon Hospital) Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Deciding to quit is the first step to stop smoking. There are lots of resources and support to take the next steps. Visit NHS Mid and South Essex’s Stopping Smoking page for more information and links to local services.
It is excellent to see progress in helping local people kick the habit. While we recognise there is still plenty of work to do, thanks to the investment in targeted support in our hospitals, rates of smoking are coming down. No matter how long you have been a smoker, there is plenty of support you can access across mid and south Essex to help you quit.
Every cigarette smoked contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are dangerous, so smoking when you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Cigarettes also restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder every time you smoke. The likelihood of stillbirth doubles and the likelihood of sudden infant death triples for people who smoke during pregnancy.
Dr Matthew Sweeting, Executive Medical Director, NHS Mid and South Essex
As part of Stoptober, local health leaders are calling on smokers across mid and south Essex to join the 2.5 million others nationally who have made a previous quit attempt during October. There are lots of local Stop Smoking services available for residents .
In mid and south Essex, 11.1% of adults smoke, with almost 150,000 smokers putting themselves at much higher risk of diseases like lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and coronary heart disease.
Smoking causes 64,000 deaths a year, making it the biggest cause of preventable illness and death. NHS Mid and South Essex is encouraging local smokers to join the thousands of others who are starting their quit attempt during Stoptober because research shows if a person quits smoking for 28 days then they’re five times more likely to quit for good.