Southampton’s approach to smoking cessation.

Abstract

Smoking damages lives and is the leading cause of preventable death, disability, illness and social inequality, both across the UK and globally. In maternity care, it may be argued that smoking during pregnancy is the most important modifiable risk factor, as it is responsible for a plethora of poor birth outcomes. Despite this, pregnant women and birthing people continue to smoke and efforts to facilitate smoking cessation have mixed results. This paper describes the Integrated Antenatal Care Pathway implemented by University Hospital Southampton (UHS) NHS Foundation Trust and explains how this approach was developed. It is an innovative approach that warrants further evaluation.