Naas General Hospital Urges People Not To Smoke On The Hospital Campus

The prevalence of smoking in Ireland remains at 18% and has not declined since 2019.

On Quit Day, Naas General Hospital Staff are asking people not to smoke on the hospital campus. 

New signs have been erected to encourage smokers and people who vape to move offsite and away from sick and vulnerable people who often attend the hospital.    

Anne Murphy, Director of Nursing commented: “Many people attend Naas General Hospital for care in relation to respiratory illness, cancer, and a myriad of other health conditions. 

"We want them, and for staff, to walk in and out of the hospital without encountering second-hand smoke. 

"We are urging people to be mindful of everyone when choosing to smoke or vape," she added.

Meanwhile, the hospital has teamed up with Dublin South Kildare and West Wicklow (DSKWW) Community Healthcare to offer patients, staff, and visitors the opportunity to access free smoking cessation services.      

“There is a real demand for this service.  We ran a Quit awareness event last month and from that day alone we referred 19 people who wanted to kick the habit and spoke to countless more people who have started to think about giving up” said Maeve Fitzgerald, Health and Wellbeing Coordinator at Naas General Hospital.   

Earlier this year the HSE launched its new Quit campaign urging people to take back control. 

1 in 5 people still smoke in Ireland.  The prevalence of smoking in Ireland remains at 18% and has not declined since 2019.   

The campaign shows how people who smoke can start to take back control over their addiction in 28 days with help from the Quit service. 

Dr. Jose Ayala, Lead for Tobacco and Smoking Cessation, Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow, said, “18% of the population still smoke. The Quit service genuinely helps. We’re hopeful that we can really strike a chord with people and drive further awareness of the support that’s out there.

"The HSE has supported thousands of people to quit smoking with the support of personalised, evidence-based supports that are proven to increase your chances of quitting for good. 

Take Back Control responds to the research with smokers, reflecting the reality – that smoking is an addiction that’s hard to walk away from. That quitting is not easy but it is achievable with the right support,” he adds.

Top tips for quitting smoking successfully: 

1. Don’t feel you need to go it alone. HSE QUIT is there for you to help you take this step with simple, practical and effective help, maximising your chance of staying quit for good. 
2. Focus on the goal to stay smoke-free for 28 days. Once people get to that goal, they are up to 5 times more likely to stay quit for good. 
3. Use stop smoking medicine, like Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). This is a safe, effective and a clinically sound way of getting through the first 28 days and dealing with cravings. 

 Healthy Ireland Survey 2022 

• *18% of the population are current smokers. 14% smoke daily and 4% smoke occasionally. 
• Both current smokers and ex-smokers are less likely than those who have never smoked to describe their health as good or very good. Roughly three-quarters of current smokers and ex-smokers (76% and 77% respectively) describe their health in this way, compared with 86% of those who have never smoked. 
• 46% of those who have smoked in the past year have attempted to quit smoking, with 73% of this group successfully quitting smoking.