Doncaster employers asked to help with campaign

A new '˜stop smoking' campaign involving workplaces across Doncaster and the wider region has been launched.
Doncaster Chamber networking event at The Earl of Doncaster Hotel. Pictured is Dan Fell, CEO at Doncaster Chamber.Doncaster Chamber networking event at The Earl of Doncaster Hotel. Pictured is Dan Fell, CEO at Doncaster Chamber.
Doncaster Chamber networking event at The Earl of Doncaster Hotel. Pictured is Dan Fell, CEO at Doncaster Chamber.

Yorkshire Smokefree’s message is that “stopping smoking is everyone’s business”, within a year-long campaign that targets routine and manual workers, as the biggest group of smokers.

Doncaster Chamber of Commerce has pledged its support for the campaign, which asks companies to admit advisors so that they can help smokers to quit.

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Businesses are also asked to let staff attend smoking cessation services during work hours without loss of pay.

Dan Fell, chief executive of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re urging businesses to work with Yorkshire Smokefree and also develop a workplace smoking policy. Helping staff to stop smoking also reduces the potential for breaches of workplace smoking regulations.”

The service is run by South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of a number of local authorities including Doncaster.

Nationally, smokers are 33 per cent more likely to miss work than non-smokers, and are absent for an average 2.7 extra days per year than non-smokers.

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According to Public Health England’s annual population survey; between 2012 and 2015 the number of adults smoking dropped by 15 per cent across Yorkshire and Humber and 12 per cent nationally. Doncaster saw a 16 per cent decrease, although almost 20 per cent of people still smoke.

Some clients may get free nicotine replacement therapy or Champix depending on eligibility.

Call Yorkshire Smokefree for free on: 0800 612 0011 or 0330 660 1166, or visit the website yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk

Sean Rayner, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s District Director, said: ““Despite big improvements there’s still much more to do.”