Royal Papworth Hospital’s Smoking Cessation Program Reports Strong First-Year Outcomes

A new smoking cessation service has reported that two-thirds of its referred patients successfully stopped smoking during its inaugural year. Royal Papworth Hospital, located in Cambridge, stated that its treating tobacco dependency programme assisted 450 individuals in quitting within 28 days of enrollment, spanning the period from August 2023 to July 2024. The NHS indicates that approximately 80,000 deaths annually in the UK are attributed to smoking. A patient who utilized the service commented that she “wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own.” The support offered by the service encompasses nicotine replacement products, specifically patches, nicotine lozenges, nasal sprays, or inhalers. Following this, participants are directed to local stop smoking resources, such as community pharmacies or providers of behavioural support. The NHS also identifies smoking as the primary contributor to health inequalities across England. Paolo Custodio, 52, residing in Red Lodge near Newmarket, Suffolk, joined the service after his admission to Royal Papworth due to a heart attack in July 2023. Having smoked for 41 years, Mr. Custodio remarked that the team “gave me the incentive I’d been missing before.” This programme is an initiative by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Integrated Care System aimed at diminishing health inequalities. Wendy Clark, from Sudbury, Suffolk, had smoked for 43 years prior to experiencing a heart attack in September. She received a warning regarding the risk of a subsequent heart attack if she did not cease smoking. Ms Clark stated: “Simply put, I wouldn’t have been able to do this on my own.” Berin Krenek, a health inequalities nurse specialist at Royal Papworth Hospital, commented: “The average success rate among smokers in England who try to quit is 25%. Therefore, to have two-thirds of participants on our programme successfully quitting for at least 28 days is hugely positive.”