Hospital staff to help reduce smoking rates in Seymour

Hospital staff to reduce smoking rates in Seymour

Patients of Seymour Health will be given gold standard support to quit smoking, in a new initiative launched today.

 ‘Embedding prevention in routine care: tobacco-free living’ aims to make smoking cessation care a part of routine practice in hospitals, recognising that an admission to hospital can be a great opportunity for patients who smoke to make a quit attempt.

Seymour Health is collaborating with Quit to make sure all patients who smoke are offered the support they need to increase their chances of quitting successfully. This includes ensuring all patients are asked about their smoking status, advised of the best way to quit if they smoke, and offered best practice support to stop smoking - nicotine replacement therapy and referral to Quitline (13 7848).

SeymourHealth Chief Executive, Chris McDonnell said the initiative will play an important role in helping reduce Seymour’s high smoking rate. “Unfortunately, the smoking rate of 17.4%[1] in Seymour is higher than the Victorian average of 12.4%.  Our hospital serves a very diverse population and this initiative is ultimately about linking people in Seymour who smoke with evidence-based support to quit.”

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of best practice smoking cessation care and to help improve long-term health outcomes for the community.”

Seymour Health Director of Clinical Services, Anne Daley welcomes the collaboration.  “Tobacco is still the number one contributor to premature death and disease in Victoria with more than 4400[2] Victorian families losing a loved one to an early death caused by smoking each year. It’s vital that all patients who smoke have access to best practice care to quit. We know stopping smoking can lead to a smoother recovery both during a hospital stay and beyond.”

Quit Director, Dr Sarah White said most people who smoke want to quit, but only a small proportion use best practice interventions. “Tobacco dependence is a clinical issue and encounters with a hospital provide an ideal opportunity for patients who smoke to receive timely, best practice care to be smokefree.  We’re delighted to be working with SeymourHealth to consistently and effectively help all patients who smoke to quit.”

‘Embedding prevention in routine care: tobacco-free living’ has been developed by Quit in conjunction with Alfred Health and the Victorian Government. It is currently being implemented at three other health services –Western District Health Service, NortheastHealth Wangaratta and North Western Mental Health - and will serve as a blueprint for delivery of best practice smoking cessation care in Victorian hospitals.

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Quit Victoria is a partnership between VicHealth, the State Government of Victoria and Cancer Council Victoria.

[1] 2017 Victorian Population Health Survey, Mitchell LGA

[2] The contribution of risk factors to disease burden in Victoria, 2011: Findings from the 2011 Australian Burden of Disease Study Report, an analysis of the Australian Burden of Disease Study 2011 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016). Health Intelligence Unit of the Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria.