Smokers take toll on health service (From Swindon Advertiser)
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Smokers take toll on health service
9:30am Tuesday 21st August 2012 in News
A TOTAL of 1,260 adults aged over the age of 35 are admitted to hospital due to smoking every day in the country, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
In 2010/11, an estimated 460,000 hospital admissions were due to smoking according to new figures.
Of these admissions, 126,200 had a respiratory disease, representing one in four of all patients with such a condition.
Some 160,300 hospital patients had a smoking-related cancer such as lung cancer – more than one in 10 of all cancer admissions.
The new figures also show that from April 2011 to March 2012, a total of 36,226 people successfully kicked the habit with the cost per quitter to Strategic Health Authorities and Primary Care Trusts coming in at £172.
In Swindon, where 1,608 people successfully quit, the cost per quitter for NHS Swindon was slightly lower at £161 and in NHS Wiltshire, costs fell even lower to £138.
Nationally, statistics show that during 2011/12, 816,000 quit dates were set through NHS Stop Smoking Services; four per cent (29,000) higher than in 2010/11 (788,000).
At four week follow-up meetings, there were 401,000 instances where people had successfully quit, up five per cent (17,000) on 2010/11 (384,000).
HSCIC chief executive Tim Straughan said: “These figures present in stark terms the impact smoking has on people’s individual health and NHS services.
“The reports give an insight into the effects of this habit in England; from those seeking help to give up and successfully quitting through NHS Stop Smoking Services; to those needing a hospital stay for a condition associated with smoking.”
Earlier this year it was revealed that 17 per cent of pregnant women in Swindon remained smokers when they gave birth – higher than the national average.
NHS Swindon said Stop Smoking support is available in more than 60 locations in the town.
For more information and advice or to book an appointment call the NHS Swindon Stop Smoking Service on 0800 389 2229 or 01793 708751. Alternatively, text on 07827 954094, email besmokefree @swindon-pct.nhs.uk or write to NHS Swindon Stop Smoking Service, North Swindon District Centre, Thamesdown Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN25 4AN.
Comments(28)
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
10:26am Tue 21 Aug 12
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How many people were admitted to hopsital with sports injuries? - dont think for a second I'm anti sport in any way - but it illustrates how people damage their own bodies and the job of the NHS is to fix people not offer moral judgement on how they have done it.
RichardR1
says...
10:43am Tue 21 Aug 12
If a smoker does quit then in real terms it's cost considerably more than the figures quoted given the loss of tax on the cigarettes.
dc the 2nd
says...
11:07am Tue 21 Aug 12
chas
says...
11:14am Tue 21 Aug 12
Robh
says...
11:18am Tue 21 Aug 12
Some 160,300 hospital patients had a smoking-related cancer such as lung cancer – more than one in 10 of all cancer admissions.
We know that smokers pay a considerable amount in tax but how are the others paid for?
Perhaps the NHS should get more if not all the tax revenue from smokers. If they did we would probably have the best health service in the world.
RichardR1
says...
11:27am Tue 21 Aug 12
As for my interests they are wide and diverse. Like 75% of the population I don't smoke but can see that this constant battering smokers take is totally irrational given the taxes they pay.
Hmmmf
says...
11:39am Tue 21 Aug 12
"...more than one in 10 of all cancer admissions"
"...one in four of all patients with such a condition."
So you're much more likely to get cancer (more than 8 in 10) or respiratory conditions (three in four) if you're a non-smoker. This is alarming, I gave up smoking nearly 5 years ago and now my chances of getting cancer or respiratory conditions have increased dramatically. They didn't tell me *that* when I quit.
I 2 Could B
says...
11:48am Tue 21 Aug 12
Perhaps the NHS should get more if not all the tax revenue from smokers. If they did we would probably have the best health service in the world.
No, we most definitely would not. The NHS will never have a hope of being amongst the best in the world whilst we continue to adopt the current model.
Attempting to treat the entire world with money raised soley in this country is also a major factor as to why the NHS trails behind the health services of so many other nations.
Sadly, the utopian nonsense of a 'free' (it isn't, of course, it's actually very expensive) health service for anyone who wants it, and for any reason, is proving to be wholly counter-productive. Then there's the rather glaring problem that, along witht the rest of our demented welfare state, we simply cannot afford the NHS as it stands.
The Real Librarian
says...
11:55am Tue 21 Aug 12
The last figures I could find are several years old, but they are from the ASH website, who admit that £10.5 BN was being raised from smoking and all the costs only added up to £4.5 BN, leaving £6 BN for the government to waste on illegal wars and fake asylum seekers and workshy chavs.
Bobfm ,
says...
12:09pm Tue 21 Aug 12
RichardR1 wrote:Robert, why are you posting under RichardR1 pseudonym?
Two very astute posts. I have read that quitting is deemed to be two weeks out of four smoking free. How many of the quitters are repeats.
If a smoker does quit then in real terms it's cost considerably more than the figures quoted given the loss of tax on the cigarettes.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:13pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Still About
says...
1:00pm Tue 21 Aug 12
So why the change of log-in?
I presume The Adver moderators finally had the sense to ban him.
Surely they are intelligent enough to realise he has merely changed his log-in?
With luck he will soon be banned again as with most other forums that he blights
Robh
says...
1:21pm Tue 21 Aug 12
WHO CARES? Try commenting on the topic or are you all brain dead and totally devoid of any opinions.
house on the hill
says...
1:52pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
2:05pm Tue 21 Aug 12
house on the hill wrote:All fair points.
Can someone please explain the attraction of smoking? It costs a fortune, increases your chances of ill health and premature death, make you look older and smell like an old ashtray, just what is the point????? Sorry I really just dont get it.
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But thats freedom of choice for you. Theres plenty of (legal) things I dislike but I dont try telling anyone else they cant do them
house on the hill
says...
2:10pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Still About
says...
3:10pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Even more bizzare is that people do it whilst they're driving.
Davey Gravey
says...
3:32pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Still About wrote:Which should be made illegal
I've never understood the attraction.
Even more bizzare is that people do it whilst they're driving.
chas
says...
4:05pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Still About
says...
4:26pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Mustn't start talking about alcohol though otherwise RichardR1 will demonstrate that he IS RobFm by pointing out that you're off topic.
house on the hill
says...
4:42pm Tue 21 Aug 12
Robh
says...
7:15pm Tue 21 Aug 12
This seems a bit disproportionate to the percentage of people who smoke.
RichardR1
says...
7:22pm Tue 21 Aug 12
If one then analyses what smoking related actually means in terms of the statistics we find the truth even less convincing.
Still About
says...
7:18am Wed 22 Aug 12
Anybody who thinks it isn't is an idiot.
RichardR1
says...
7:32am Wed 22 Aug 12
The gene likely to mutate caused by smoking has been identified, and thus with a relatively simple test those who would likely catch a serious health condition such as cancer could be identified at a very early stage.
They then could be told the real truth, not the concocted version used to scare through smoking bans.
Davey Gravey
says...
12:38pm Wed 22 Aug 12
RichardR1 wrote:Everyonee who smokes over time will have their health affected. Every single one of them. absolute rubbish from you robfm
Smoking is indeed bad for the health of some but not the majority.
The gene likely to mutate caused by smoking has been identified, and thus with a relatively simple test those who would likely catch a serious health condition such as cancer could be identified at a very early stage.
They then could be told the real truth, not the concocted version used to scare through smoking bans.
Even Angrier Monkey
says...
1:57pm Wed 22 Aug 12
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We all know that there are old people out there who have smoked 20 a day for 60 years and been fine, likewise its possible for fit, non smoking 40 year olds to get lung cancer. But clearly smoking increases the chances of a person developing certain diseases.
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But there is also a lot of Bull sheet anti smoking propaganda (as above) concerning hospital admissions and the liklihood of a smoker getting seriously ill.
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I want to see facts, not figures massaged to suit the moral lecturing of the NHS.
Oik1 says...
10:17am Tue 21 Aug 12
And another thing, an estimated 460,000 hospital admissions were due to smoking, if those figures are estimated then it means very little and they are in all probability miles out, is that estimation based on the question we all get asked if you ever end up in hospital "have you ever smoked?" You answer yes, but I packed up in1948, it's still a tick in the smokers box on the stats.