A report from the NHS has shown that 1 in 20 hospital admissions is attributable to smoking. The study, published by the NHS Information Centre, showed that between 2007 and 2008 there were 1.4 million people over 35 who were admitted to hospital suffering from smoking-related diseases.
In the same period, the NHS estimated that 18% of all deaths amongst over 35s were caused by smoking, a total of 83,900 people. The report’s authors said that 35% of all deaths caused by respiratory disorders and 29% of all deaths from cancer were attributable to smoking addiction.
Though there has been a slight drop in the number of smokers since 2006 – falling by 1% from 22% of the population to 21% - health experts said that many diseases were slow to develop, so the health problems caused by the high smoking rates of the 1970s and 80s were only now becoming apparent. Over the last decade, smoking-related admissions have risen by a fifth.
The NHS Information Centre was also fairly damning about the impact the smoking ban had had on the number of smokers, saying that when smoking rates six months before the ban were compared with six months after there was ‘no significant difference’ in the number of smokers.
However they discovered that a third of smokers now stay at home to smoke, rather than going out, meaning that fewer adults are being exposed to second-hand smoke in pubs, clubs and restaurants. This supports the claims of pub landlords that their business has been severely damaged by the smoking ban.