Mental health workers in Oxfordshire are to get help to quit smoking with free nicotine patches and support groups, as part of a national drive for a smoke-free NHS.

Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust will help staff who want to quit smoking by paying for 4 courses of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches.

The Trust has set a goal to go smoke-free next year as part of the national goal for the NHS to be smoke-free.

Using local and national staff surveys the Trust estimates that approximately 33% of its staff smoke – which is above the 26% figure for the general population.

Support will also be made available to staff and patients to quit from the Oxfordshire Smoking Cessation Service.

The Trust’s Director of Operations, David Bradley, said: “Working in mental health is a highly rewarding career, but it can also be very stressful at times. That’s why it’s important that staff lead healthy lifestyles, and I hope as many staff as possible take advantage of the free patches and support the Trust is making available.

“We also realise that some service-users, especially those in long-stay patients or in great distress, need a place where they can smoke on hospital grounds and we are planning for this.

“However in the long-term we do want to provide support for both staff and service-users to quit smoking. As a NHS Trust we have a duty to protect and improve the health of those in our care and those who work for us.”

The NHS is due to become smoke-free by the end of 2006 as part of a government drive to tackle public health problems.