How businesses can help hospital chiefs to stub out smoking

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust is currently on a countdown to see smoking banished from both of its hospital sites in Hartlepool and Stockton.

Trust chiefs are looking for local companies to help with the creation of new green spaces where visitors and staff will be able to vape as an alternative to smoking.

Claire Henry, specialist alcohol and tobacco dependence nurse adviser for the trust, said: “We have been lucky enough to secure some donations from a large retail outlet.

“We are appealing to our local business communities in an attempt to make the spaces a reality; particularly landscapers, carpenters and anyone in between that would like to help.”

The trust has introduced a number of tactics to encourage people to think twice about lighting up including a new tannoy system which will using pre-recorded voices of children and other community members prevent people from smoking inside hospital entrances.

Trust medical director Deepak Dwarakanath added: “This pledge to go smoke free has to become a reality.

“The familiar site of individuals hanging around the entrances of our hospital sites has to become a thing of the past.”

It is estimated that smoking kills about 106,000 people in the UK every year.

Dr Ben Prudon, from the trust, said a quarter of all deaths in the UK are linked to respiratory problems.

He said: “In this region we are witnessing higher levels of COPD and lung cancer, as health care providers we want to give our patients access to options for aspirational health.

“We need to keep talking, to encourage smokers to make a change.”

Any businesses that would like to support the trust to go smoke free can contact Clare Henry on (01642) 383819.