Becoming a smoke free site

The team was set up to provide free tobacco dependency treatment to all inpatients who smoke. This service is part of our commitment to support patients to not smoke whilst they are being treated at UHS.

The comprehensive treatment offered by the team provides the most appropriate alternatives to patients who are tobacco dependent. All patients who smoke should be referred to the tobacco dependency team on their admission.

Find out more about the UHS tobacco dependency team on this page.

• See Quit smoking - Better Health - NHS
• Phone the free Smokefree National Helpline on 0300 123 1044, to speak to a specialist adviser. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm
• Download the free NHS Quit smoking app Quit smoking - Better Health - NHS
• Sign up for a Personal Quit Plan. Quitting smoking is easier with the right support – get your free plan now

Quit smoking this Stoptober - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Stopping smoking (southampton.gov.uk)

Becky, a UHS member of staff, used our in-house quit service to help her stop smoking. Read her story below.

Tell us about your history with being a smoker?

I was a heavy smoker from a young age. I smoked around 20 cigarettes a day for years. Me cutting down used to look like dropping to three packets a week. I would have two cigarettes in the morning before even leaving the house. Then I’d have one at the bus stop, so I’d have had three or four before I’d even started work.

What made you want to try giving up?

Firstly, it was about my health and then it also become about the expense of it. In my work I was moving to another team, which was a significant life-change, so I thought why not coincide it with a fresh start on dropping the cigarettes.

How did you know about the smoking cessation services at UHS and tell us about your quit journey?

I was stood smoking at the bus stop and there was a poster there. Something in that moment made me decide to book an appointment with occupational health, where I met Abbi, who’s been phenomenal. She welcomed me with open arms.

I blew into the machine, and it wasn’t a good score at all. It made me think about what’s in my lungs. Abbi gave me some patches to go away with, and when I returned in a week, the score had dropped dramatically. That gave me the motivation to keep it going.

I had the odd slip-up in the very early stages but before long it just tasted horrible, and I made the decision to fully quit and never looked back. Now I’m over a year-on.

I used an inhaler and mouth spray for a bit, but it was breaking the habitual elements which had the biggest impact. It was breaking those patterns where I’d usually reach for a cigarette which really did the trick. The majority of my family still smoke and I can’t stand to even empty the ashtrays anymore. I’m tasting food much better. My lung capacity felt greater.

I feel liked a changed woman and I’ve got Abbi to thank for that! She came into my head a lot in the early stages which weren’t always easy. Her support stopped me on many occasions when I was having a wobble. Acting upon that bus stop poster led to such a life-changing set of events for me. I can even now afford a holiday which I wouldn’t have been able to do when I was smoking.

Karlo received care from our hospital and used the tobacco dependency team to help quit smoking. Read his story below.

Tell us about your history with being a smoker?

I started smoking when I was 11. My parents have always smoked and they still do and I have tried so many times to give up but nothing ever seemed to work. Twice I have tried, and both times I have failed; until now.

What made you want to try giving up?

Suffering from a heart attack was really scary. Smoking causes so many problems and I know my heart problems are hereditary so I wanted to make a change to become healthier.

How did you hear about the tobacco dependency team, and tell us about your quit journey?

When I was an inpatient, I got asked by the nurses if I wanted help to quit smoking so I accepted the help and now I have been smoke free for over 7 weeks. They gave me lots of support and referred me to different types of nicotine replacement therapies. 7 weeks on and I have even tried to make other better life choices like eating healthy and getting more exercise. Smoking is an expensive habit, it's dirty and smelly and I got to be one of the lucky ones to have a second chance.

Meet Megan, one of UHS’s Medical Examiner Officers, who used our LiveWell smoking cessation services to help quit smoking.

Tell us about your history with being a smoker?

I was a social smoker at university but I didn’t start smoking properly until I was 24. It became each morning with a coffee and anytime I was out socialising. Before long, it was whenever I was on my own or bored. Before I knew it, I was smoking 20 a day.

What made you want to try giving up?

I didn’t think I was addicted - I thought I could stop any time I wanted, but this wasn’t the case. Working around bereavement, I have become a lot more aware of my own mortality. My chest had begun to feel tight and I was aware of what I must smell like to other people.

How did you know about the LiveWell support and tell us about your quit journey?

I saw a poster in the smoking shelter at the front of the hospital. I decided to start my quit journey again in October 2022 and this time I was much more successful. I used patches and inhalators, with the help of vapes when socialising. I still vape now, but I feel a lot less breathless and have more energy than I did before. It’s been almost a year since I stopped smoking now and I feel so much healthier. The added bonus is that my husband has also quit as a result of me no longer smoking.

Tim is an Epilepsy Nurse here at UHS. He recently finished the 12 week cessation programme. Read his success story below to becoming smoke free.

Tell us about your history with being a smoker?

I think this is quite late to actually start smoking. I had just started university... a new found freedom, which I chose to express, partly, through cigarettes. I was definitely a reach-for-the-tobacco-when-I -wake-up smoker. It was my go-to source of self regulation.

What made you want to try giving up?

I had meant to by the time I was 30... then 40... now I'm 48 and don't see why I should wait until 50. What if 50 is too late? I know people who are not that much older than me who have suffered life-changing health problems, which would not have been helped by smoking. It's also very, very expensive. A costly method of self-harm.

How did you know about the LiveWell support and tell us about your quit journey?

There was a poster behind the bike sheds, where I used to go for a cheeky fag. The main thing that helped was having the support from Occupational Health. Abbi was really helpful and I was able to email her between appointments if I felt wobbly, which did happen a few times. Her help and advice was invaluable.

How has giving up made you feel?

It wasn’t always easy, but it has been worth it. Knowing that I was able to do this has also given me more confidence in other aspects of life.