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A pilot project across the North East and Yorkshire has supported more than 345 people to quit smoking by offering digital support after discharge from hospital.

The Smoke Free app pilot was delivered by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, working with NHS partners and Smoke Free.

It explored how a digital app could complement hospital-based tobacco dependency services and help people continue their quit journey once they returned home.

Participants received a free premium licence for the Smoke Free app, giving them access to tailored advice, behavioural support, progress tracking, regular messages and 24/7 support from trained advisors.

Carlos, a patient at the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust who stopped smoking with the support of the app, said:

“I’d smoked for over ten years, and although I’d tried to quit before, it had never worked.

“What really prompted the change was a hospital admission for another health issue. While I was there, they encouraged me to stop smoking and asked if I wanted to speak to the stop smoking advisor. I agreed to have a chat.

“She gave me some information, including details about the Smokefree app, and I remember thinking it felt different from what I’d tried in the past. It felt new.”

“Having support available at any time was important for me. Anxiety doesn’t work to a schedule, and things can come up at any point in the day. Knowing the app was there, no matter what else was going on in my life, made it easier to keep going.”

During the evaluation period (June 2025 to February 2026), more than half (50.8%) of app users who actively engaged with the programme and set a quit date successfully quit smoking.

In addition, 87% of users said they would recommend the app to others.

Since the pilot evaluation period ended in February 2026, the number of confirmed quits has continued to grow, with more than 345 patients now confirming they have quit smoking.

The pilot also reached people in communities where health need is greatest. More than 70% of users came from the most deprived areas, based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in England. Hospital admission can be an important opportunity to offer support, with around one in four patients admitted to hospital being smokers.

Adele Bunch, Head of Portfolio at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, said: “Hospital discharge is an important opportunity to connect people who want to stop smoking with the right support, building on the tobacco dependency services already in place across participating trusts.

“This pilot shows how innovation and partnership working can help patients continue to feel supported after they leave hospital. By working together across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, partners have been able to test a practical digital approach that keeps patients at the centre.

“The results are encouraging and give us valuable learning about how we can continue to improve tobacco dependency support, so more people feel supported to take the next step in their quit journey.”

Mark Henderson, Clinical Director at Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, said: “The strength of this pilot has been the collaboration behind it. By working across Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and our regional Integrated Care Boards, we have been able to bring together expertise, connect NHS partners and test this approach across a wider area.

“This partnership has given us valuable shared learning about how digital support can complement existing tobacco dependency services and help more people continue their quit journey after leaving hospital.”

The pilot supported patients across 13 NHS trusts in four Integrated Care Board areas. It was funded by NHS England North East and Yorkshire.

Within Yorkshire and the Humber, participating organisations included Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust.

The project has now ended and the final evaluation report has been published. Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and partners will use the findings to help inform future approaches to supporting patients who want to stop smoking.

Discover the full findings by downloading the evaluation report