Hospital support helps Helen quit after nearly 60 years of smoking

After nearly 60 years of smoking, Helen Thomas has gone without cigarettes since July, according to an October update from Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.

A fall brought the Heaton Norris resident to Stepping Hill Hospital for a hip replacement. During her three-week stay, the surgical team connected her with its CURE tobacco-treatment team, which offered advice and nicotine patches.

“Nicotine patches have been the key for me,” she said. The hospital offers smokers specialist support and medication during admission and after discharge.

NHS guidance explains that patches release nicotine steadily through the skin, easing withdrawal. Cravings can still occur, so support may need adjusting.

This is one patient’s account. The trust says its team has helped more than 1,200 people quit since 2020, but does not say how many it treated or how long it followed them.

For Helen, the change already feels practical: she reports feeling healthier and saving the more than £100 a week she previously spent on cigarettes.

Sources

• Stockport NHS Foundation Trust: Helen’s experience and the hospital’s CURE service
• Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust: how nicotine patches work