An Emergency Department nurse by background, Lucy works at Nottingham University Hospital. Lucy’s current role focuses on health improvement research and education within Urgent and Emergency Care.
During her time working in the emergency department, Lucy has seen many patients suffering from the impacts of smoking.
Although addressing smoking can never be the main priority when people are presenting with other emergencies, the team feel that discussing smoking with patients is key to a more holistic approach to good health.
Many smokers attending the emergency department have ongoing respiratory or cardiac conditions related to their smoking, and the emergency department team often see the significant impact this can have on a person’s life.
Lucy explains that the emergency department team are encouraged to have conversations with patients about the impacts of smoking, even when they have come to the department with an unconnected issue.
With the number of smokers coming into the emergency department being higher than the average locally, the team strive to make every contact count by talking to as many patients as they can about their smoking.
We see an awful lot of patients with respiratory conditions, and cardiac conditions that would be related to smoking.
We're starting to do some work now around the wider determinants of health that impact on people presenting to the emergency department. The results are showing that patients coming to the emergency department are more likely to be smokers than in most other departments in the hospital.
Lucy emphasised the need for routine conversations about smoking with patients, and feels that generally smokers are accepting of this. She knows that every smoker is different, and everyone will have their own reasons for smoking and their own motivations and barriers to quitting. She understands how important it is for healthcare professionals to address the individual’s needs and understand that any journey to quitting has to be encouraged and supported recognising those needs, drivers and barriers.
I think it definitely differs person to person. They're going to have their own reasons as to why they might want to quit, or why maybe now isn't quite the right time. The thing we always try and identify with staff is that if they can identify with that person the reason they want to quit, and if we can build on that, then that's the best place to start. It might always start from a health perspective, but actually, if we can identify with that person they might want to quit because they've got a new grandchild on the way, or whatever it might be, we know that that probably will be more effective.
Lucy talks about how important it is that a specialist service is available to smokers in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire area. She feels that the opportunity to engage with specialists is very motivating for smokers considering a quit attempt, and also notes that the ability to refer to specialists encourages hospital staff to discuss the issue of smoking with patients in the first place.
What advice would I give to smokers
From our perspective, it's always the right time to quit. But from people's perspective, sometimes within their life, it might not be a priority. There’s probably never a time that feels like the right time, I imagine. They might manage to quit first time, or not. But there is a value in trying. And even if you don't succeed, there’s a value in trying again.
I guess perseverance is probably what I'd speak to them about.