Hampshire Hospitals and Hampshire County Council launch new Smokefree partnership at ‘Bin the Butt’ event in Basingstoke

On Friday 1 November, volunteers from across the community gathered at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital for a ‘Bin the Butt’ litter pick as part of efforts to go smokefree onsite and encourage a healthier community. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) hosted the event with Hampshire County Council, who have joined forces to help more Hampshire people quit smoking for good.

Hundreds of cigarette butts were collected from across the hospital site, car parks and in The Spinney woodland area surrounding the hospital. Joining the litter picking volunteers were Hampshire Hospitals Chief Executive, Alex Whitfield, Director of Public Health for Hampshire County Council, Simon Bryant, Councillor Simon Minas-Bound from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and teams from The Land Trust and Smokefree Hampshire.

During the event, a new smokefree partnership was announced between Hampshire Hospitals, Hampshire County Council and Smokefree Hampshire who will work together to help anyone wanting to quit smoking. This includes improving access to smoking cessation resources, continuing to support smokefree stays for patients and raising awareness of the expectation to be smokefree while on a Hampshire Hospital site.

This partnership includes the introduction of a new, two-year Smokefree Lead role at Hampshire Hospitals, funded by the County Council’s Government funded smokefree grant set aside to reduce smoking. The Smokefree Lead will drive smokefree initiatives within hospital settings, benefiting staff, patients and visitors. This role aims to lower smoking rates in the community, supporting national targets for a smokefree generation by 2030.

Alex Whitfield, Chief Executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, commented:

“We are incredibly proud to announce the introduction of the new Smokefree Lead role as part of this important collaboration with Hampshire County Council. This initiative supports our commitment to providing the highest standards of care within a supportive, health-focused environment. The litter pick event not only reestablished our hospital grounds as smokefree sites but also highlights our commitment to taking meaningful steps to create healthier, cleaner hospital environments and helping our patients, staff, visitors and communities to make positive choices toward better health.”

Hampshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Simon Bryant, commented:

“Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of ill health and premature death in England, costing the taxpayer millions and placing a huge burden on the NHS and social care. Therefore, helping people to quit smoking is vital and part of our duties to improve health. This is why, in the summer, we announced the County Council would be spending up to £23million on a new, seven-year stop smoking contract from April 2025 to support Hampshire smokers to quit, as well as prevent people starting in the first place. Supporting the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to make hospitals smokefree is an example of these joint efforts to encourage people to make healthy choices such as quitting smoking.”

Despite a decline in smoking rates over the past decade, it remains the leading cause of preventable illness and early death in England. In 2022, an estimated 10.5% of adults in Hampshire smoked, leading to around 4,500 deaths and 8,600 hospital admissions annually.

In October 2023, the government set a target to achieve a smokefree generation by 2030, with plans to reduce the NHS burden of smoking-related diseases through collaborative local efforts and dedicated funding. As part of this goal, Hampshire County Council pledged to increase the number of smokers quitting each year and the partnership with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust supports these efforts.