Tobacco Dependency Treatment Services

Being in hospital is a significant event in someone’s life, and people can be more open to receiving support aimed at improving healthy outcomes and reducing the chances of re-admission.

The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) committed to providing NHS-funded tobacco dependency treatment to all inpatients who smoke, with everyone admitted overnight being able to access services.

Within the North East and North Cumbria, these services were rolled out in 2022 in all 10 NHS Foundation Trusts and now covers 18 clinical pathways in total. This means that smokers admitted into hospital or receiving maternity care can be provided with in-house tobacco dependency treatment as part of routine care.

As of November 2025, around 95,845 people have been identified as smoking on admission or at the time of booking for maternity patients, and around 67,900 patients referred to in-house NHS to help with quitting or temporary abstinence whilst in hospital.

This work is also part of the NHS 10 Year Plan to reduce the harms caused by smoking – the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in the region, to help people stay healthy and reduce admissions to NHS services.

Key achievements (as of November 2025) include:

• Identifying over 95,845 patients who smoke
• Referring over 67,900 to in house tobacco dependency services
• Supporting over 46,240 patients
• Helping 2,925 patients achieve a smoke-free outcome after 28 days or after delivery.
• Record Smoking at Time of Delivery (SATOD) low rate of 8%.
• Pioneering, innovative work supporting 1972 NHS Staff with a 51.2% quit rate