Hospital team praised for helping couple quit smoking after husband suffered heart attack

A 50-year-old patient has praised hospital staff who helped him and his wife to quit smoking after a heart attack gave him a ‘sign he needed to stop’.

Paul and Karen Whitney had been smoking for more than 45 years between them. They were having about eight cigarettes a day each and spent more than £400 a month on their tobacco addiction.

Then Paul experienced a serious health scare when he suffered pains in his chest and arm.

The couple attended A&E at Leighton Hospital, Crewe, and Paul was admitted to the Cardiac Ward with a suspected heart attack.

During his time on the ward, Paul met Jo Harding, a Specialist Nurse from the CURE programme, who talked to him about the benefits of quitting smoking.

Paul said he and his wife would have found it extremely difficult to stop smoking without the support of the staff at Leighton Hospital.

He said:

“It was hard to give up. I found it really tough and without the help from the hospital team I wouldn’t have done it.

“They helped me a lot with things to try to take my mind off it, supported us with the patches and everything else we needed.”

Paul, of Winsford, had been smoking for 15 years. Karen, aged 46, had been living with tobacco dependence for 30 years.

They spent about £105 a week on cigarettes and said the money they could now save was another benefit of quitting that was highlighted by the CURE programme.

Paul said:

“Just think of the money that you’re saving by not smoking – it’s unbelievable. It’s crazy how much they cost. When you think how much you’re saving, it’s a lot of money over the years.”

Following the news that he had suffered a heart attack, Paul had surgery at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and had two stents fitted.

He and Karen also both followed the support of the CURE programme, which included using nicotine patches.

They have now both quit smoking and say they are determined never to start again.

Paul has also started to notice health benefits since quitting, including changes in his taste buds and ‘feeling better in himself’.

He says he is extremely grateful to Jo and the CURE programme for their support and urged others to seek help to stop smoking.

Paul said:

“We had talked about quitting, but you don’t do it. I wish I had done it sooner.

“If Jo hadn’t come in and spoken to me I don’t think we would have been able to totally quit.”

The CURE programme launched at Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Leighton Hospital, in November 2020 and is currently supporting more than 50 smokers.

It offers patients admitted to Leighton Hospital an assessment of their addiction level, tailored nicotine replacement therapy and support from a team of specialist nurses during and after their visit.

Dr Duncan Fullerton, Respiratory Consultant and Clinical Lead for the CURE programme at Mid Cheshire Hospitals, said:

“Smoking has a huge impact on a person’s health. It’s still the single largest preventable cause of death in this country and almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to a hospital in England with a smoking-related disease.

“Tobacco addiction is a chronic and relapsing disease and the CURE programme is about hospital teams working together to tackle this. I’m delighted that our amazing staff were able to make such a difference to Paul and Karen’s lives. Quitting is quite simply the best thing any smoker can do for their health and it’s never too late to stop.”

Paul and Karen shared their story as part of national #NoSmokingDay, which took place on Wednesday, 13 March. The awareness day sees organisations across the country unite in encouraging and supporting the nation’s 5.3 million smokers to make a quit attempt.

For more information about the CURE programme, email: 

cure@mcht.nhs.uk 

or call:

01270 826482

For stop smoking advice and support visit: 

www.nhs.uk/smokefree

Pictured - Paul and Karen Whitney quit smoking with support from the CURE programme at Leighton Hospital.