We’re serious about our vision to become a smokefree Trust
To enable us provide a healthier environment for everyone and to help protect our patients, visitors and colleagues, all of our sites are now smokefree. This means that it is no longer permitted to smoke anywhere on the grounds of any of our sites, this includes smoking within vehicles on our sites.
Why are we going smokefree?
As an NHS organisation, we have a duty to protect and care for both the mental and physical health of our patients, our colleagues and visitors.
Many people who access our services are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of second hand smoke, such as pregnant women, children and those with medical conditions. Exposure to secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death among non-smokers and even brief exposure can cause immediate harm.
Smoking has devastating consequences for individuals and their families and it remains the largest cause of ill health and premature death in South Tyneside and Sunderland. This puts immense pressure on our local NHS services with one in three hospital beds occupied by someone who smokes who will often need to stay in hospital for longer. Across South Tyneside and Sunderland, smoking costs the NHS around £22.7m.
We believe that becoming ‘smokefree’ is much more than just ‘smokefree’ sites. It’s about improving the health of our patients, firstly by identifying patients who smoke, by helping smokers to realise the consequences of tobacco on their health if necessary, and offering them practical support to quit.
Going forward, supporting smokers to stop smoking will be central to the work of ALL Trust staff.
What does this mean for you?
We’re committed to providing a healthy environment for everyone who visits our Trust and we need your support to help achieve this.
This means that:
- You must not smoke on any South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust site
- If you are admitted as an inpatient you will be offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help you manage any cravings for the duration of your hospital stay. You will also be offered a referral for ongoing support
- If you want to smoke you must do so offsite and at your own risk
- If you are found smoking on Trust premises, you will be politely asked to put out your cigarette, or move offsite
- We support the use of e-cigarettes/vapes in our grounds but not inside our buildings. For the comfort of others we ask that you do not use these at the entrances or near the windows of our buildings
Support is available
We recognise that smoking is highly addictive and many people find it extremely hard to stop, even when they want to. Part of our smokefree commitment is to provide patients and staff with the tools and support they need to help them stop smoking if they want to make a quit attempt.
We will:
- Offer Nicotine Replacement Therapy to all smokers on admission
- Offer our patients advice on how we can support them to quit smoking and informing them of the specialist support that is readily available at our Trust
- Encourage smokers to take up the help and advice available through our stop smoking services
Stop smoking services
For further advice and support to stop smoking contact:
- Patients from South Tyneside - Please refer yourself to the Change4Life Stop Smoking Service by clicking here.
- Patients from Sunderland – call Sunderland NHS Specialist Stop Smoking Service on 0800 169 9913 or visit their website here.
- Or you can call the national NHS Smoking Helpline number 0300 123 1044
If you have any queries about the Trust’s smokefree vision, please email STSFTprevention@nhs.net
