Lincolnshire stop smoking team celebrates 270 smokefree babies
Specialist NHS team has helped hundreds of mums quit smoking during pregnancy.
A specialist NHS team in Lincolnshire has helped more than 270 babies be born smokefree since launching in 2022.
The STAAR team – which stands for Stop Smoking Team Action, Advice and Refer – supports mums-to-be to quit smoking during pregnancy.
Run by United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the team works with pregnant women from the start of their pregnancy journey, offering advice, regular support and help to access incentives such as the national smokefree pregnancy scheme.
Smoking during pregnancy is linked to a number of health risks including premature birth, stillbirth and heart defects.
Team lead Gillian Walker says helping families quit smoking can have life-changing health benefits for both babies and parents.
The service has also helped reduce the number of women smoking at the time of delivery in Lincolnshire from 22% before 2022 to just over 5% in 2026