After running a smoke-free site for the past four months, staff at Medway Maritime Hospital are now offering support to help mums-to-be and their partners give up cigarettes.

Staff at the hospital are starting a stop smoking service in the antenatal clinic in the hope more expectant parents will quit the habit before their baby arrives.

Despite a continuing decline in smoking rates across the country, Medway continues to have one of the highest prevalence of smokers at 22.3% compared to the national average of 18%.

With more than 5,000 babies born at the hospital every year, the antenatal team has supported families to quit through visiting the clinic but has never been able to have a permanent space due to the hospital’s ongoing refurbishment work. Now, this support is available five days a week.

Maria Watson, specialist midwife and pregnancy adviser at the site, which is run by Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know that Medway mums and dads want to give their children the best start in life.

“There is so much evidence out there that demonstrates how harmful smoking can be on a baby’s development during pregnancy and in the home after they’re born, not to mention the mother’s health, so this free and accessible clinic allows parents, in confidence, to take the first steps to quit smoking.”

The service can provide support on both how parents-to-be can change their behaviour to stop smoking, as well as provide vouchers for free nicotine patches to help quitting.

For those who want to find out more about how their smoking and other lifestyle choices could impact on their unborn child, the team also offers a comprehensive computer health evaluation.

The project is run with Medway Council’s stop smoking service.

Cllr David Brake, the council’s head of public health, said: “We all want the best for our children, so I think the earlier we can make people aware of the dangers around smoking and pregnancy, the more parents will opt to kick the habit for the good of their child’s health and their own.”

If you are an expectant parent and would like to speak to the antenatal stop smoking team, you can ask your sonographer (who performs the pregnancy scans) or call the stop smoking service on 0800 234 6805/01634 334800.