Exposure to secondhand smoke is hazardous to health, especially for children.  Each year, the cost of treatment by primary care services for these children has been estimated at around £10 million, while hospital admissions cost a further £13.6 million.  These figures do not include the impact on the health of adults who are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Tobacco Free Futures is doing a great deal to support the number od children exposed to secondhand smoke.  It has made reducing smoking in pregnancy a priority as part of a commitment to improve services for pregnancy women and protect children from secondhand smoke.

This has included carrying our an audit of all smoking in pregnancy services across the North West that identified achievements and gaps in service provision, which formed the basis of a region wide best practice event. As a result of the audit and event, local areas implemented service chance and redesign.

Other activity has included the development of a Smokefree pregnancy reward scheme which has resulted in rates coming down in many areas and demonstrated the huge potential NHS savings through investing in Smokefree pregnancy, a series of insight and focus group sessions with pregnant smokers and partners in deprived areas and a regional TV campaign – My Little Baby – to complement a national campaign which resulted in a significant increase in calls to the smoking in pregnancy helpline.