One in six mums who give birth in Doncaster smoke while pregnant

One in six mums who give birth at the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust smoke while pregnant, figures reveal.
New figures on smoking during pregnancyNew figures on smoking during pregnancy
New figures on smoking during pregnancy

Charity Action on Smoking and Health said smoking during pregnancy can cause stillbirths, miscarriages and birth defects.

The latest NHS data shows 55 out of 310 women said they were smokers at the time they delivered their baby at the trust in January – around 18%.

New figures on smoking during pregnancyNew figures on smoking during pregnancy
New figures on smoking during pregnancy
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This is three times the 6% target the Government wants trusts to meet by the end of 2022.

It is also double the England average – 9% of the 24,443 women who gave birth in January were smokers.

The South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust had the highest rate of smoking mums in the month, at 23%, while the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, both in London, had the lowest at just 1%.

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Ciaran Osborne, director of policy at Ash, said: “It is vital that all pregnant smokers get specialist support to help them quit successfully.

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“But in too many places, this is not happening. The Government must go further, and faster, if it is to achieve its national target to reduce still birth and neonatal death by half by 2025.”

The Department of Health revealed its Tobacco Control Plan in 2017, which included a target to reduce smoking prevalence among pregnant women from 11% to 6%.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Smoking rates among pregnant women are at a record low and have been in steady decline since 2010.

“However, this remains a concerning issue, disproportionately affecting women and babies from poorer communities, so we have set an ambition to reduce smoking in pregnancy by a third by 2022.

"As part of our Long Term Plan for the NHS, every smoker admitted to hospital will be offered help to quit – with an emphasis on pregnant women and their partners.”