Background: The adverse effects of smoking are well documented and it is crucial that this modifiable risk factor is addressed routinely. Professional advice can be effective at reducing smoking amongst patients, yet it is not clear if all hospital in-patient smokers receive advice to quit.

Aims: To explore smoking prevalence amongst hospital in-patients and smoking cessation advice given by health professionals in a large university teaching hospital.

Methods: Interviews were carried out over 2 weeks in February 2011 with all eligible in-patients in Beaumont Hospital.

Results: Of the 205 patients who completed the survey, 61% stated they had been asked about smoking by a healthcare professional in the past year. Only 44% of current/recent smokers stated they had received smoking cessation advice from a health professional within the same timeframe.

Conclusions: Interventions to increase rates of healthcare professional-provided smoking cessation advice are urgently needed.