Patients at Stepping Hill Hospital who have given up smoking are ‘quids-in’ thanks to the specialist team who helped them quite the habit.
To celebrate No Smoking Day, the CURE team based at the hospital have calculated how much money they’ve saved patients since they started less then two years ago; and the result is nearly half a million pounds.
Since the team’s launch in September 2020, the total amount of money saved by patients has been £492,266 – an average of £1560 per patient – as well as the immense health benefits gained by stopping smoking.
CURE is a Greater Manchester-wide project of comprehensive secondary care treatment for tobacco addiction. It ensures all active smokers admitted to hospital are immediately offered specialist support from the team, together with nicotine replacement therapy and other medications for the duration of their admission, and after discharge too.
Tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable death, disability, illness and social inequality in our area and indeed in the world. The term ‘CURE’ has been specifically chosen to ‘medicalise’ tobacco addiction and move away from the stigma of a lifestyle choice towards disease treatment.
One patient who has recently benefitted from the team’s approach is Chris O’Reilly, 72, from Glossop. Chris was admitted to Stepping Hill Hospital with a TIA (or ‘mini-stroke’) in November. He was only in hospital for one day, but during that time the CURE team offered him the help he needed to stop smoking, and with their support he has successfully stayed off since. Chris said “I’ve been smoking for over forty-five years, but the CURE team at the hospital have helped me to give it up for good. The nicotine patches and their advice have been a real help, the whole team have been a really fantastic support for me.”
Respiratory nurse practitioner and CURE team leader Pauline Holmes said “We all know smoking is extremely bad for your health, but nicotine addiction is huge financial burden too. Giving up smoking makes both you and your finances healthier, and its fantastic to see how much money we’ve saved for people in a relatively small space of time. Smoking is the result of addiction to nicotine, not a lifestyle choice, and we’re here to give people the tools they need to beat this addiction. We’ve helped a lot of people already, and we’re looking forward to helping even more in the future.”
For more information on CURE visit https://thecureproject.
