Greater Manchester’s smokefree pregnancy programme has been praised for inspiring a new national initiative by the chief midwifery officer for England, Kate Brintworth.
Since launching in 2018, the smokefree pregnancy programme has reduced smoking at time of delivery by more than 40% and led to more than 6,000 additional babies being born smokefree.
It is delivered by NHS Greater Manchester, local authorities, NHS foundation trusts and technology partner Accenture.
The programme offers all pregnant women and their partners free and personalised stop-smoking support through a specialist maternity stop-smoking service. This includes one-to-one advice and guidance, free nicotine replacement therapy, regular carbon monoxide screening, and an incentive scheme to stay smokefree.
During a visit to the region, Ms Brintworth said: ‘Smoking rates in pregnancy are at an all-time low thanks to initiatives and support from NHS teams like the smokefree pregnancy programme in Greater Manchester. This year also saw the biggest annual fall in smoking in pregnancy since records began.’
She said the rollout of a similar scheme nationally would ensure more mothers and babies, no matter where they live in England, were protected from the dangerous health impacts of smoking and passive smoking during pregnancy.
Jane Pilkington, director of population health for NHS Greater Manchester, described it as ‘incredible’ that their ‘trailblazing’ programme would help shape a national programme.
‘We know first-hand how important it is for the health of mothers and their babies to quit smoking during pregnancy – so to be able to help not just people in Greater Manchester but across the whole of England to quit at during such an important time in their lives is fantastic,’ she said.
Ms Brintworth, accompanied by officials from NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, visited Tonge Family Hub in Bolton for a roundtable discussion with specialist midwives, maternity tobacco dependency advisors and senior leaders from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Greater Manchester.
She also met service users who had successfully quit smoking while pregnant thanks to the programme.
