The aim of the project is to reduce the smoking in pregnancy rates at Scarborough Hospital.
Themes
- Smoking in pregnancy
Locality
Scarborough and Ryedale.
Aims
A partnership project, initiated by the Scarborough and Ryedale clinical commissioning group based on concerns around the level of smoking in pregnancy and the potential health outcomes for mother and baby. Partners include maternity services, public health from North Yorkshire and from East Riding, and the NHS North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service.
The aim of the project is to reduce the smoking in pregnancy prevalence at Scarborough Hospital.
Details
Smoking in pregnancy rates for women giving birth at Scarborough hospital are high (21.8 per cent, 2011-12) and are noticeably higher than rates across the rest of North Yorkshire and the East Riding. The Scarborough and Ryedale clinical commissioning group has identified reducing the prevalence of smoking in pregnancy as a priority. This requires sustained commitment and joined up action from a number of partners including the clinical commissioning group, the hospital trust, public health and the North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service.
The cost of a complicated delivery by a smoker has been estimated to be 66 per cent higher than that of a non-smoker.
The smoking in pregnancy rate is measured by the percentage of women who smoke at the time of delivery by hospital trust. The national ambition is for a rate of 11 per cent or lower by the end of 2015. This equates to 119 fewer smokers in North Yorkshire to achieve the 11 per cent rate.
The project group aims to implement National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, increase awareness and profile amongst professionals, improving links between professionals, improving our understanding of our local client group, ensuring our services are fit for purpose and exploring the role of children's centres around identifying and supporting women to quit before pregnancy. A successful bid to the Strategic Health Authority for £25,000 has acted as pump priming, enabling us to deliver and demonstrate success in order to attract further commitment and resources to maintain the project in the future.
To date the project group has delivered a half day event for professionals who have contact with pregnant women and the wider network, this event raised awareness, understanding and commitment amongst professionals, cementing smoking in pregnancy as a shared local priority, attracting media interest.
A two day a week secondment for a year to develop smoking in pregnancy services across the Scarborough hospital area has begun (shared across North Yorkshire and East Riding). This post is to work alongside the current North Yorkshire smoking in pregnancy advisor, supporting women with quit attempts.
Carbon monoxide (CO) monitors have been purchased for every community midwife and a policy is currently being agreed and ratified by the trust.
A proposal from a social marketing company has been developed for some insight work with pregnant service users and non-service users and the wider family network to gain an understanding of the local issues and to inform future service development and campaigns.
How will this case study improve health and reduce health inequalities?
Babies from deprived backgrounds are more likely to be born to mothers who smoke and to be exposed to second-hand smoke. Smoking is a considerable and modifiable risk factor in pregnancy as it can cause a number of serious health problems including lower birth weight, pre-term birth, placental complications and perinatal mortality.
Children exposed to second hand smoke in the womb are more likely to experience a range of health problems including serious respiratory infections, symptoms of asthma and problems of the ear, nose and throat.
Evidence suggests that smoking in pregnancy is both a cause and effect of health inequalities. Although smoking presents a significant health threat to all groups, it is the main contributor to the gap in life expectancy, accounting for a half of the difference between the lowest and the highest socio economic groups.
Contact details
Emma Davis
North Yorkshire County Council partnership
Tel: 01609 797154
Email: emma.davis@northyorks.gov.uk
