One in eight pregnant women still smoking in East Lancashire

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

The latest NHS data shows 65 out of 505 women said they were smokers at the time they delivered their baby at the Trust in January – around 13%.

This is more than twice the 6% target the Government wants trusts to meet by the end of 2022.

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

Dr Ian Stanley, Acting Medical Director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “There are significant risks to the health of both mother and unborn baby if smoking is continued during pregnancy, so it is important that we do all we can to support a successful quit.

"The Trust is committed to helping expectant mothers who smoke to stop, and are hopeful in reducing the smoking during pregnancy rate to 6% by 2022. It’s important to remember that it is never too late to stop smoking. We provide lots of help, advice and support to our mums-to-be to help them achieve a quit.

"All our midwives are trained to be able to discuss the effects of smoking in pregnancy and to offer a referral, via our new streamlined pathway, to our community specialist stop smoking team. On average our midwives are referring between 30 and 50 women per month.

"Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. Anyone who wants to stop smoking during pregnancy can contact the Trust’s Well Team on 01254 734629 or [email protected]."