No Smoking Day 12 March 2025: meet our Tobacco Free Team

No Smoking Day is an important event in the calendar because it raises awareness and offers people the opportunity to set a quit date.

We're encouraging people who smoke to quit and win with their health, fitness, mental health and finances when they leave tobacco behind.

Our Tobacco Free Team will be hosting stalls in the month of March at both Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) and Cheltenham General Hospital (CGH). Come and say 'Hi' to the team and get your CO level tested.

• Wednesday 12 March - 10am - 1pm, main Atrium, GRH
• Tuesday 18 March – 10am - 1pm, Blue Spa Cafe, CGH
• Tuesday 25 March 10am - 1pm, West Block Outpatients, CGH

Whether you’re ready to quit today or just starting to think about it, remember that every step counts.

Need support or guidance? Get in touch with the Tobacco Free Team. We are here to help you find the resources and motivation you need to succeed.

Take the first step this Stop Smoking Day. Your future self will thank you.

Reasons to quit this No Smoking Day

Health and fitness

• Your health starts to improve within hours of stopping smoking.
• After 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
• After 12 hours, the level of carbon dioxide in your blood returns to normal.
• After two weeks to three months, your lung function and circulation improve.
• After nine months, coughs and shortness of breath decreases and your lungs are recovering.
• After one year, your risk of coronary heart disease is halved.
• After five years, your risk of many types of cancer is reduced.

Finances

We've calculated how much you could save if you quit!

If you smoke the average amount of cigarettes a day (11) you could save

• After one week: £47
• After one month: £206
• After six months: £1,239

(based on the cheapest packet of cigarettes)

Family

Everyone has personal reasons for stopping smoking, and the benefits can be substantial not just for you, but also for the people around you.

Second-hand smoke can increase the risk of lung cancer for people who don't smoke by 30%.

Support to stop smoking

• If you're an inpatient at our hospital, all patients who smoke will be visited by the Tobacco Free team. The interventions include:
  • Access to a Tobacco Treatment Advisor who will work with them to assess their tobacco dependence and collaboratively agree a plan that supports them throughout their stay with us
  • Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) such as patches, gum, lozenges or sprays
  • Upon discharge, they are referred to community services for ongoing support in their quit journey
  • Post-discharge support means that we will follow up with them at around 10 days and 28 days.
• We also have specialist services to support people to stop smoking when they're pregnant
• There's a wide range of support available if you're ready to quit smoking, including on the NHS Better Health website

NHS quit smoking app

Use the NHS Quit Smoking app to help you quit smoking and start breathing easier.

• Find it on the Apple App Store
• Get it on Google Play