Jump to full article: Edinburgh Evening News (uk), 2003-03-10
Author: DIANE KING
Intro: FAMILY doctors are too overworked to tackle patients about smoking even though treating smoking-related illnesses costs the NHS 1.5 billion a year in England, research showed today.
Some GPs were so worried about increasing their workload that they were unwilling to put up posters about quitting smoking in their waiting rooms.
The findings by charity group which organises No Smoking Day, which falls on Wednesday, also showed that one in two smokers will die from the habit.
Many GPs told the charity they were reluctant to raise the subject because it takes time to provide adequate help and advice. . .
They also said talking to their patients about smoking could often be "frustrating" and "unrewarding" and that they "didnt like to bother" patients who had other problems, such as lack of money or poor housing.
This is despite figures showing more than 80 per cent of smokers regret ever starting smoking and that stopping smoking results in lower stress levels. . .
Doreen McIntyre, chief executive of No Smoking Day, said: " Smoking-related illness is filling up GP waiting rooms and hospital beds, but smokers arent yet getting rapid access to the specialist services that can help them stop.
"GPs need better information about these services, and they need to encourage their patients to use them."
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