PREGNANT Swindonians had the toughest time quitting smoking out of all women in the south west.

Out of a total of 23 pregnant women known to NHS Stop Smoking services who had set a quit date between April 2017 and September 2017, just four reported that they had successfully stopped. 

The number of pregnant women setting a quit date was half that of the same period in 2014 – when 48 pregnant smokers set a quit date and 38 said they successfully stopped smoking.

Swindon Borough Council said that supporting people to stop smoking remained a priority for public health chiefs, with smoking cessation services being “redesigned” in a bid to get more people to kick the habit.
It said it had “redesigned” its stop smoking services.

“We work closely with the Great Western Hospital and the town’s midwives to identify women smoking in pregnancy and encourage them to think about stopping smoking,” a spokesman said. “There are a number of stop smoking services available from GPs and pharmacies and these are readily accessible.

“The percentage of people who smoke in the town has fallen in recent years and we are also working closely with schools and families to prevent young people taking up smoking.”

It comes as Public Health England recommended that hospitals allow vaping in some areas, saying that electronic cigarettes could help people quit smoking. It says that 20,000 people a year are quitting smoking with help from e-cigarettes. 

GWH said that rules banning vaping in the hospital still applied.
In Swindon, there has been a steady reduction in the number of people smoking. However, the number using NHS services to quit has also fallen.

Figures published by NHS Digital this month show:

  • Between April and September 2017, 583 people set a “quit date” in Swindon. Of these, 163 said they had successfully quit, 254 had not managed to kick the habit and another 166 could not be reached. 
  • Over the same months in 2014, 640 had set a quit date and 414 claimed to have stopped smoking. n Last year, the number of women registering a quit date overtook the number of men. 304 women set a quit date, compared to 279 men. 
  • 10 children set a quit date between April and September.
  • In 2016, the latest year for which data is available, 2,848 babies were born. PHE said that 11.5 percent of women in Swindon were smoking at the time of giving birth – equating to over 300 women.Of 23 pregnant women who set a quit date between April and September 2017, four reported that they had successfully quit.

GWH, which has asked for people’s views on its non-smoking policy, said that they would have to wait for recommendations from NHS England before changing its policy. 

A spokesman said: “While electronic cigarettes have been shown to have some benefits, particularly in terms of helping people to stop smoking, the rules around not allowing the use of such devices inside the hospital building still apply.”

For support with stopping smoking, contact the council’s Livewell Swindon team on 01793 465513.