Record number of smokers Sheffield hospitalised, figures reveal

Charity Action on Smoking and Health says the increase in smoking-related hospital admissions places a ‘real burden’ on the NHS, and has called on the government to do more to help smokers.

Prof Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, has previously warned smokers are also at greater risk from coronavirus.

Data from Public Health England shows there were 5,953 admissions to hospital attributable to smoking in Sheffield in 2018-19 – an 8 per cent rise on the year before and this was the highest number since records began in 2009-10, when there were 5,727 admissions.

Over the 11 years, 56,000 people were hospitalised.

Hazel Cheeseman, ASH director of policy, said: “Most smokers start smoking as children and try many times to quit. Smokers are more likely to get sick, develop complications and take longer to recover than non-smokers.

“This places a real burden on the NHS. The government has pledged to do more to help smokers, which is welcome, but more action is needed to achieve the government’s vision of smoking rates of 5 per cent or less by 2030.

“We are calling for a Smokefree 2030 Fund to make the high-profit tobacco industry pay for the damage it does.”

Advice from Public Health England says high rates of smoking attributable admissions are indicative of poor population health and high smoking prevalence.

Prof Whitty told MPs that smokers should not behave any differently to others in terms of self-isolation for coronavirus, but this was a good moment to quit.

He said: “For most respiratory infections, you worry about people who smoke a bit more. They’re more likely to get it and their immune system is less good.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “Robust government action, like the introduction of plain packaging and awareness campaigns, has brought smoking rates down to record low levels and our ambition is to become a smoke-free society by 2030. Prevention remains at the heart of our plan - this year we have made £3 billion available to support local authorities, including stop-smoking services.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​