Hospitals to send experts into wards to lecture smokers and boozers how to quit under radical NHS plan
Health chiefs hope their plan will follow Canada's success and get around a million patients to ditch their unhealthy habits
HIT squads are to be sent into hospitals to lecture smokers and boozers on how to quit under a radical new NHS plan.
Health chiefs aim to nanny a million patients into ditching their habits over five years.
The £183million scheme in 50 hospitals is part of an NHS long-term vision to be unveiled on Monday.
PM Theresa May will vow that all of a £20billion funds boost, part of the Brexit dividend, will be spent wisely and carefully.
There are also new cancer and mental health targets, a maternity care revolution and plans to tackle diabetes.
Patients in hospital for falls or stomach problems will face a quiz about drinking as well as those with alcohol poisoning or liver disease.
Some will be offered special drugs to put them off alcohol.
NHS boss Simon Stevens claims this will stop around 50,000 drink-related admissions by 2024.
Every hospital patient will also be asked if they smoke and offered help.
A similar scheme in Canada slashed hospital re-admissions by half.
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Mr Stevens added: “Alcohol and tobacco addiction remain two of the biggest causes of ill health and early death.”
Booze and cig harm is said to cost £6billion a year.
Duncan Selbie of Public Health England said: “Investing in prevention is the smartest thing the NHS can do.
NHS ups 'treat' pay
A SCHEME that dishes out NHS “wellbeing” cash for patients to spend as they please is set to balloon.
Personal Health Budgets are awarded to those who require long-term care.
Cash issued to tens of thousands was spent on treats like iPads by some.
But ministers want hundreds of thousands of patients enrolled by 2024.
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