Mental health stop smoking strategy helps NHS

MENTAL HEALTH services could aid the NHS by helping people to quit smoking, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of York have found helping people who use mental health services to stop smoking is a good investment for the NHS and could save money in the longer term.

Results from the project showed that smoking cessation interventions, tailored to the needs of people accessing mental health services, are cost-effective over 12 months. This was mainly due to lower use of expensive hospital-based healthcare services.

Study lead, Professor Simon Gilbody, from the University of York, said: “Smoking kills large numbers of people every year and people who use mental health services have been left behind in the societal reductions in smoking rates.”

The research, conducted for the Smoking Cessation Intervention for Severe Mental Ill-Health (SCIMITAR) Trial, developed targeted approaches to support smokers using mental health services to successfully quit.

NHS figures show that smoking rates among people who use mental health services are among the highest of any population group. This contributes to profound health inequalities, with life expectancy around 20 years lower among people with conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar illness.

The NHS spends about £720m a year treating smoking-related disease in people with mental illhealth.

Dr Emily Peckham, senior research fellow from the department of health sciences, who managed the SCIMITAR study, said: “The benefits of giving up smoking are enormous. People feel better, and they have more money when they are able to quit.

“Over time, we speculated that there might also be financial benefits to the NHS since it is very costly to treat smoking related illnesses.”