Hundreds of cigarette butts were collected from the Basingstoke hospital site as part of a new smokefree initiative.

Volunteers from the community gathered at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital on Friday, November 1 for the 'Bin the Butt' litter pick.

The event was organised by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) in partnership with Hampshire County Council.

The initiative is part of a larger effort to encourage healthier communities and make hospital sites smokefree.

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Volunteers with Simon Bryant, Alex Whitfield and Cllr Simon Minas-Bound holding water bottles filled with cigarette butts (Image: Hampshire Hospitals) The volunteers collected hundreds of cigarette butts from the hospital's premises, car parks and in The Spinney woodland area.

Among those who joined the initiative were Hampshire Hospitals' chief executive Alex Whitfield, the director of public health for Hampshire County Council Simon Bryant, Cllr Simon Minas-Bound from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and teams from The Land Trust and Smokefree Hampshire.

During the event, a new smokefree partnership was announced between Hampshire Hospitals, Hampshire County Council and Smokefree Hampshire.

The partnership aims to assist individuals wanting to quit smoking by improving access to smoking cessation resources, supporting smokefree stays for patients and spreading awareness of the smokefree policy at Hampshire Hospitals.

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Central to the partnership is the introduction of a new two-year Smokefree Lead role at Hampshire Hospitals, funded by the county council's government-funded smokefree grant.

The Smokefree Lead will drive smokefree initiatives within hospital settings, benefiting staff, patients and visitors.

The role aims to lower smoking rates in the community, supporting national targets for a smokefree generation by 2030.

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Alex Whitfield said: "We are incredibly proud to announce the introduction of the new Smokefree Lead role as part of this important collaboration with Hampshire County Council.

"This initiative supports our commitment to providing the highest standards of care within a supportive, health-focused environment.

"The litter pick event not only re-established our hospital grounds as smokefree sites but also highlights our commitment to taking meaningful steps to create healthier, cleaner hospital environments and helping our patients, staff, visitors, and communities to make positive choices toward better health."

Despite a decline in smoking rates over the past decade, it remains the leading cause of preventable illness and early death in England.

In 2022, an estimated 10.5 per cent of adults in Hampshire smoked, leading to around 4,500 deaths and 8,600 hospital admissions annually.

In October 2023, the government set a target to achieve a smokefree generation by 2030.