What is Winning hearts and minds:

Winning hearts and minds is a partnership between C3 and The Burdett Trust to address smoking in mental health units in England. People with a mental health condition are much more likely than others to be smokers. In fact, over 40% of people with a mental health condition smoke, compared to 14%. This puts them at higher risk of heart disease.

Winning hearts and minds is working with mental health nurses to help their service users stop smoking. Despite, the fact that smoking is the leading risk of cardiovascular disease there is often a culture of allowing smoking in mental health units because it helps service users feel ‘calm.’ C3 and the Burdett Trust are helping mental health nurses balance keeping their patients happy with keeping them healthy.

“Smoking was a bait to get people into healthy conversations-now I realise the therapeutic intervention was the conversation, not the smoking. We need to find better ways of making the conversations happen” – Mental health nurse

Take our quick quiz to find out what you know about smoking!

Watch a quick video to learn more about Winning Hearts and Minds.

What are we doing?

C3 and the Burdett Trust are raising knowledge and awareness levels of mental health nurses around smoking and cardiovascular disease, working with nurses to explore the barriers that are stopping them from helping their patients to stop smoking. Through this process we will equip mental health nurses with evidence-based resources to better help them support their patients on their smoking cessation journey. 

Get involved:

If you’re a mental health nurse who wants to help their patients stop smoking you can learn more about the project by contacting michaela.nuttall@c3health.org, nurses that take part in an interview will get a voucher.

Scan the QR code or click here to take our quick quiz and test your knowledge on smoking!