On Wednesday, 12 March, staff from the the Trust's Tobacco Dependency Service, Darlington Stop Smoking Service, and community partners Smokefree County Durham took part in engagement events at University Hospital North Durham (UHND) and Darlington Memorial Hospital (DMH) to mark National No Smoking Day 2025.
Teams set up stalls outside Saffrey’s and Hollies restaurants and actively patrolled hospital grounds and departments, including the Emegency Department, Outpatients, and Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC).
Despite the poor weather, more than 200 individuals - including patients, visitors, and staff - engaged with the teams, receiving advice on the benefits of quitting smoking, access to stop smoking support, and swap-to-stop vapes.
At UHND, 12 vapes were distributed, and six individuals were referred for community stop smoking support.
At DMH, an impressive 115 vapes were given out to patients, visitors, and staff.
The event was a resounding success, reinforcing the commitment to helping individuals lead healthier, smoke-free lives.
For further information or to access support:
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County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Stop Smoking Support: 0800 802 1850
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Darlington Stop Smoking Hub (for Darlington residents): 0800 802 1850
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Smokefreelife County Durham (for Durham residents): 0800 772 0565 or Smokefreelife.
countydurham @nhs.net
