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The benefits of being smoke free, how can service Quit51 can help you and what to expect from the local stop smoking service

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Vaping myths and the facts - Better Health

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There are lots of misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping. Here are some of the most common myths, and the facts based on scientific evidence and data.

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If you smoke, you might be more at risk of having high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

High blood pressure does not usually have any symptoms, so the only way to know if you have it, is to get a check. If you are 40 or over, live in England and haven't had a check in the last 6 months, you can get your blood pressure checked for free at your pharmacy today.

If your blood pressure is high, then it can be managed through lifestyle changes or medication.

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When you stop smoking, good things start to happen to your health. Get free support from the NHS to become smoke free and help build a smokefree generation.

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Smoking and your unborn baby

Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. It can be difficult to stop smoking, but it's never too late to quit.

Every cigarette you smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, many of which are dangerous, so smoking when you are pregnant harms your unborn baby. Cigarettes can restrict the essential oxygen supply to your baby. As a result, their heart must beat harder every time you smoke.

Benefits of stopping smoking in pregnancy

Stopping smoking will help both you and your baby immediately. Harmful gases, such as carbon monoxide, and other damaging chemicals will clear from your body. When you stop smoking:

you will reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy and birth

you are more likely to have a healthier pregnancy and a healthier baby

you will reduce the risk of stillbirth

your baby is less likely to be born too early and have to face the breathing, feeding and health problems that often go with being premature

your baby is less likely to be born with a low birth weight. Babies of smokers are, on average, lighter than other babies, which can cause problems during and after labour. For example, they are more likely to have problems keeping warm and are more likely to get infections

you will reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death"

Stopping smoking now will also help your baby later in life. Children whose parents smoke are more likely to suffer from asthma and other serious illnesses that may need hospital treatment.

The sooner you stop smoking, the better. But even if you stop in the last few weeks of your pregnancy this will benefit you and your baby.

Secondhand (passive) smoke harms your baby

If your partner or anyone else who lives with you smokes, their smoke can affect you and your baby before and after their birth. You may also find it more difficult to stop if someone around you smokes.

Secondhand smoke can also reduce your baby's birthweight and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as "cot death". Babies whose parents smoke are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during their first year.

To find out more about quitting and to get support, your partner can call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Nicotine replacement therapy

You can use nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy if it will help you stop smoking and you're unable to stop without it. Stop smoking tablets such as Champix (varenicline) or Zyban (bupropion) are not recommended during pregnancy and are not currently available.

NRT contains only nicotine and none of the damaging chemicals found in cigarettes, so it is a much better option than continuing to smoke. It helps you by giving you the nicotine you would have had from a cigarette.

You can be prescribed NRT during pregnancy by a GP or an NHS stop smoking adviser. You can also buy it over the counter without a prescription from a pharmacy.

NRT is available as:

If you have pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, patches may be a better solution.

NRT patches should be used for no more than 16 hours in any 24-hour period. The best way to remember this is to remove the patch at bedtime.

Before using any of these products, speak to a midwife, GP, a pharmacist or a specialist stop smoking adviser.

By getting this specialist advice you can be sure that you're doing the best for your baby and for you.

Call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 from 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Remember, you are twice as likely to be successful at quitting if you get some support from a trained adviser.

Liquorice-flavoured nicotine products

Pregnant women are advised to avoid liquorice-flavoured nicotine products. Although there is no known risk with small amounts of liquorice flavouring, the manufacturers advise caution.

This caution is based on information about the adverse effects associated with excessive amounts of liquorice root. As other flavours are available, pregnant women are advised to choose an alternative, such as fruit or mint.

Find out more about stop smoking treatments.

E-cigarettes in pregnancy

E-cigarettes are fairly new and there are still some things we do not know. However, current evidence on e-cigarettes indicates they are much less risky than smoking.

Cigarettes deliver nicotine along with thousands of harmful chemicals. E-cigarettes allow you to inhale nicotine through a vapour rather than smoke. By itself, nicotine is relatively harmless.

E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, the 2 main toxins in cigarette smoke. Carbon monoxide is particularly harmful to developing babies. The vapour from an e-cigarette does contain some of the potentially harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but at much lower levels.

If using an e-cigarette helps you to stop smoking, it is much safer for you and your baby than continuing to smoke.

Unlike nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches or gum, e-cigarettes are not available on an NHS prescription. If you want to use an e-cigarette, you can still get free expert help from a stop smoking adviser.

Call the National Smokefree helpline on 0300 123 1044 for more information, or ask a midwife to refer you.

Find out more about using e-cigarettes to stop smoking.

National Smokefree helpline

The National Smokefree helpline offers free help, support and advice on stopping smoking and can give you details of local support services.

You can also sign up to receive ongoing advice and support at a time that suits you.

National Smokefree helpline: 0300 123 1044

9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 11am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.

To find your nearest NHS Stop Smoking service talk to:

a midwife

a health visitor

a nurse at your GP surgery

a pharmacist

NHS Stop Smoking services can offer 1-to-1 or group sessions with trained stop smoking advisers and may have a pregnancy stop smoking specialist.

They can also offer advice about dealing with stress, weight gain and support the use of NRT (such as patches or gum), if appropriate, to help you manage your cravings.

Find out more about the effects of smoking in pregnancy, and getting support to quit, at Better Health: Start for Life

Find stop smoking services near you.

Get Better Health: Start for Life's pregnancy and baby emails

Sign up for Better Health: Start for Life's emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond.

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Find out why you should stop smoking in pregnancy, and how smoking can harm your unborn baby. Plus where to go for support to help you quit.

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Links to guidance, policy and strategy resources on tobacco control

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Links to guidance, policy and strategy resources on tobacco control

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The Surrey Tobacco Control Strategy 2023 to 2026 sets out our plans to reduce the prevalence of smoking from 11.9% in 2023 to under 9% by 2026 through supporting people to quit, education, enforcement and creating smokefree environments.

The Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Control Joint Strategic Needs Assessment chapter sets out the current landscape in Surrey.

The South East of England Position Statement on Vaping 2024 has been produced to help with developing organisation policies and individual practice.

The Managing vapes in schools guidance was produced in 2023 to provide advice and guidance for managing vapes and vaping in school settings and organisations working with children and young people.

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Links to documents, guidance, policy and strategy resources on tobacco control, vaping and managing vapes on schools

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The training programme is founded upon evidence-based behaviour change techniques and includes practical interventions that will make a significant difference to the chances of your clients becoming permanent ex-smokers.Both the Stop smoking medications and Vaping: a guide for healthcare professionals modules are essential training for stop smoking practitioners and will be of interest and use to anyone who assists smokers to quit or who wants an understanding of these lifesaving aids to quit.Our specialty modules give practitioners working in specialised areas the additional knowledge and skills to work with particular groups of smokers.

The training programme has been shown to increase practitioners' knowledge, develop their skills and lead to improved practice.

The training programme includes all of the information that you need to pass the online assessment. Upon successful completion of the assessment, you will become an NCSCT Certified Stop Smoking Practitioner.

Training modules for health and social care professionals

The three Very Brief Advice (VBA) training modules are essential training for anyone who comes in to contact with smokers in primary care (VBA+), pregnant women (VBA for pregnant women) and parents and carers of children (VBA on Secondhand Smoke).

Our most recent VBA course is for those working with people experiencing homelessness and it starts with a powerful film that lays out the impact of smoking, and the benefits of cessation.

If you would like to undertake any of these modules, please click on the links on the right.

The courses are open to NCSCT Certified Stop Smoking Practitioners, who have taken the training and passed the assessment.

If you would like to undertake the pregnancy and mental health specialty modules, please click on the links on the right.

NCSCT Specialty Modules

Vape Friendly Services

COMING SOON!

This site will be for representatives of organisations who want to register their organisation as an NCSCT Vape Friendly Service.

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The training programme is founded upon evidence-based behaviour change techniques and includes practical interventions that will make a significant difference to the chances of your clients becoming permanent ex-smokers.Both the Stop smoking medications and Vaping: a guide for healthcare professionals modules are essential training for stop smoking practitioners and will be of interest and use to anyone who assists smokers to quit or who wants an understanding of these lifesaving aids to quit.Our specialty modules give practitioners working in specialised areas the additional knowledge and skills to work with particular groups of smokers.

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Surrey Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Control Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

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Surrey Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Control Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

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JSNA Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco Control | Surrey-i

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This chapter was published in July 2024 and is due to be reviewed by July 2026.

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Support to Quit Smoking in Pregnancy - Royal College of Midwives

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A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team

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National Centre for Smoking cessation and Training

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National Centre for Smoking cessation and Training

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NCSCT - National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training

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National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT)

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The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to prevent the legal sale of cigarettes to the next generation and curb youth vaping. Originally introduced by the previous government, the legislation is now being championed by the current Labour government. With strong backing from both the public and the health community, this Bill represents a significant step toward a smokefree generation.

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Breathing other people’s smoke is called passive, involuntary or secondhand smoking. Health impacts range from eye irritation, headache, cough and sore throat, to heart disease and lung cancer.

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Mental Health and Smoking Partnership - ASH

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The Mental Health and Smoking Partnership is a coalition of organisations working to reduce smoking prevalence among people with mental health conditions. This page includes a range of resources to support health professionals working with people with mental health conditions who smoke.
You can find resources relating to the NHS Long Term Plan’s commitment to support people with mental health conditions stop smoking here.

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Information, guidance and resources on vaping

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Information, guidance and resources on vaping

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Information about vaping, the health implications, and how to quit vaping including helpful resources for professionals

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Quitting nicotine vaping can be a challenge. In this guide, we will provide practical tips to help you quit safely and successfully.

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Vaping is not for children and young people, whose developing brains are more sensitive to its addictive effects. Find out how to talk to young people about vaping.

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Vaping myths and the facts - Better Health

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There are lots of misconceptions about e-cigarettes and vaping. Here are some of the most common myths, and the facts based on scientific evidence and data.

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Find out the facts about vaping from the NHS – including why it’s an effective way to quit smoking, the side effects, if it’s harmful and whether it’s safe to vape if you’re pregnant.

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One You Surrey provide free stop smoking support throughout the county

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One You Surrey  - Free stop smoking support in Surrey

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One You Surrey  - Free stop smoking support in Surrey

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Stop smoking information and resources for professionals including information on local and national training and refer to One You Surrey

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One You Surrey - Free stop smoking support in Surrey

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One You Surrey - Free stop smoking support in Surrey

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Go Smoke Free in Surrey: Quit smoking today to enhance your health and wellbeing. Begin your journey to a healthier future now.

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Smoke Free - The help you need to quit for good

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It feels so good to see your time smoke free we show it to the second. Watch the money you've saving go up and your cravings come down each day. Get an idea how your health is improving and how much life you've regained.

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Smoke Free App - Subscription Activation

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Smoke Free is the most popular stop smoking app available. More than four million people from 190 countries have used the app in the past six years and it is rated 4.7 stars on the App Store (with 150,000 5-star reviews).