Health service in England will support at least 600,000 people over five years

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

All smokers who are admitted to hospital will be encouraged to quit as part of a long-term plan, NHS England has said.

The NHS will invest £183m in helping problem drinkers and smokers, who cost the service more than £6bn annually.

It is planning to offer advice on quitting to every smoker admitted to hospital, including those receiving long-term mental health support and learning disability services.

Overall, 600,000 smokers will be supported to quit over the next five years, with the areas where there is greatest need prioritised. The scheme is part of the NHS’s long-term plan, which will set out how the service will spend the extra £20.5bn a year it will receive by 2023-24.

Medical professionals are to target mothers-to-be and their partners, with 10% of the former still lighting up when their pregnancy reaches full term. The services are based on a scheme in Manchester that is expected to save £10m.

Problem drinkers will also be helped in an attempt to save millions of pounds as related admissions continue to rise. The number of patients who end up in hospital for alcohol-related reasons has increased by 17% over the past decade, NHS England said. It estimated alcohol-related harm costs the NHS in England £3.5bn every year.

Teams will be deployed to the 50 hospitals with the highest number of alcohol-related admissions to provide checks, medical help to stop drinking and support to stay sober.

The NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, said: “Drinking to excess can destroy families, with the NHS too often left to pick up the pieces. Alcohol and tobacco addiction remain two of the biggest causes of ill-health and early death, and the right support can save lives.

“The NHS long-term plan delivers a sea change in care for a range of major conditions like cancer, mental ill-health and heart disease, as well as stepping up to do more on preventing ill-health in the first place by giving patients the support they need to take greater control of their own health and stay fitter longer.”

Prof Andrew Goddard, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Every contact a health professional has with a patient is an opportunity to help the patient give up smoking.”

Paul Burstow, the chairman of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation trust, and co-chairman of the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership, also welcomed the commitment.

“People with mental health conditions have smoking rates over twice as high as the general population. Smoking is a leading cause of health inequalities and premature death,” he said.

But Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health and social care secretary, called on the government to reverse its public health cuts, which he said had “pushed many local services to the brink”.

Ashworth added: “Tackling addiction in society is a personal priority of mine, so it’s welcome that NHS bosses are now adopting Labour’s policy to place specialist alcohol staff in hospitals.

“But these new proposals will be severely hindered by deep cuts of £34m to alcohol and drug addiction services, and £3.1m cuts to community smoking cessation services ministers are imposing this financial year.”

Deborah Arnott, the chief executive of the health charity Ash, said: “Ash has long called for the NHS to provide smokers in their care with dedicated support to help them quit, as stopping smoking improves patients’ life expectancy and quality of life, and reduces pressure on our overburdened NHS.

“So we’re delighted the NHS long-term plan includes provision of support to stop smoking for pregnant women, people with mental health conditions and all patients admitted to hospital.

“It is disappointing, however, that at the same time that the NHS is receiving additional funding, public health budgets continue to be cut, affecting the availability of community stop-smoking services, which should be provided for all smokers who want them.”