NEW investment opportunities to help lower smoking rates in pregnant women are set to be explored by the county council.

This comes after news that the former NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG data revealed 591 of 6,541 mothers were smokers (nine per cent) at the time of delivery in 2022-23.

This was above the national ambition of six per cent or less.

READ MORE: One in ten pregnant women smoke in Herefordshire and Worcestershire

Malvern Gazette: Councillor Karen May, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing, at Worcestershire County Council,.Councillor Karen May, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing, at Worcestershire County Council,. (Image: Worcestershire County Council)

Councillor Karen May, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Well-being, at Worcestershire County Council, said despite this the numbers have gone down in the last year.

She said: “Smoking rates among pregnant women in our area have fallen significantly in the last few years. 

"In the last year alone, it has dropped from 11 per cent to 9 per cent and is now very similar to the national average of 8.8 per cent.

"This has been achieved by the provision of specialist stop-smoking services delivered in partnership with midwifery teams. 

"A team of dedicated stop-smoking advisors that are available to support pregnant women and families in their home with one-to-one behavioural support and free nicotine replacement therapy.

"Two new public health midwives have been employed to focus on improving health and well-being in pregnancy including working within maternity to decrease smoking rates.

"There has been a focus on supporting midwives to have routine conversations about smoking, taking carbon monoxide readings and referring women and families to the Stop Smoking Service.

"We will continue to press forward on this with exploring new investment opportunities in this area and options for support.”

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it is committed to reducing smoking rates, particularly among pregnant women, and the department has a new financial incentive scheme, in the form of vouchers, which will be offered to all pregnant women who smoke by the end of 2024.

They said: "Women who receive incentives are more than twice as likely to quit as those who do not and schemes like this help women to engage with stop smoking support and remain smoke-free throughout their pregnancy."

They added a smoke-free treatment pathway will be introduced for pregnant women by March 2024, where women who smoke will be referred for specialist support.