An estimated 460,000 hospital admissions in 2010/11 among people aged 35 and over in the UK were due to smoking, according to new Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) figures.

This is the equivalent of 1,260 admissions a day; representing one in 20 of all admissions to hospital in 2010/11.

'Statistics on Smoking: England 2012' presents a broad range of information on health issues related to smoking and includes new statistics from the HSCIC’s Hospital Episodes Statistics.

They show that in 2010/11, among people aged 35 and over:

• Around 1.5 million hospital admissions had a primary diagnosis of a disease that can be caused by smoking. This number has been rising steadily from 1996/97 (1.1 million).
• 460,000 admissions were estimated as being due to smoking; which has remained broadly similar since 2006/07 (445,000). Of these:

                - 126,200 had a primary diagnosis of respiratory diseases (26 per cent of all respiratory         disease admissions);

                - 135,400 had a primary diagnosis of circulatory diseases (15 per cent of all circulatory disease admissions);

                - 160,300 had a primary diagnosis of cancer (11 per cent of all cancer admissions).

Also published today is Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services: England, April 2011 to March 2012. It shows that during 2011/12:

816,000 quit dates were set through NHS Stop Smoking Services; four per cent (29,000) higher than in 2010/11 (788,000).

At four week follow-up, there were 401,000 instances where people had successfully quit (based on self-report), up five per cent (17,000) on 2010/11 (384,000).

49 per cent of quit attempts were reported as successful at four week follow up, the same as in the previous two years.

HSCIC chief executive Tim Straughan said: “These figures present in stark terms the impact smoking has on people’s individual health and NHS services.

“Together, today’s two reports give an insight into the effects of this habit in England; from those seeking help to give up and successfully quitting through NHS Stop Smoking Services; to those needing a hospital stay for a condition associated with smoking.”

Source: NHS