Tobacco dependency team

The team was established 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. This includes timely access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and specialist, tailored support.

All patients that smoke should be referred to the tobacco dependency team as the service is provided as an ‘opt-out’ model.

Why the service is important

We are implementing a service that supports our inpatients to access specialist support and nicotine replacement products to remove tobacco from their lives.

It is not nicotine that causes smoking related diseases like cancer, heart attacks and strokes. It is the 5000 other chemicals in tobacco smoke that causes horrific damage to every organ in the body.

Therefore, it is our aim to continue to provide our patients with the nicotine to which they are addicted to whilst removing the harm of tobacco.

Smokers are four times more likely to quit with the help of medication and specialist support

We are in the process of training staff and increasing the availability of support. We are working in conjunction with other Southampton community services to ensure that every Southampton smoker has access to the tools they need to remove tobacco from their lives.

The patient journey with us

You can find a list of resources provided by Southampton City Council on stopping smoking here.