North Yorkshire Smoke Free Service

Introduction

Smoking still kills.

Smoking continues to be the primary cause of premature mortality and preventable illness in North Yorkshire. Nearly 3,000 deaths in 2014-16 were estimated to be attributable to smoking (Local Tobacco Profiles, 2016).

The evidence base remains strong for continued investment in local Stop Smoking Services.

Recently published 'Models of delivery for stop smoking services: options and evidence by PHE, 2017 states that providing support for smokers to quit is highly cost effective and the evidence is clear that smokers who receive a combination of pharmacotherapy and skilled behavioural support are up to four times more likely to quit successfully.

It has been calculated that specialist stop smoking services together with stop smoking medicines end up saving more money than they cost because of the healthcare and economic costs. For every £1 invested, £2.37 will be saved on treating smoking related diseases and lost productivity (NICE, ROI, 2016).

North Yorkshire adult smoking prevalence in 2016 was 13.1% (equating to 64,000 individuals) which is significantly lower than the prevalence for England (15.5%). People in routine and manual occupations are more likely to smoke than the general population. Compared with England, smoking rates in North Yorkshire are broadly similar for this population group (North Yorkshire 24.5%; England 26.5%).

Smoking in pregnancy continues to be a major concern, especially in Scarborough. In North Yorkshire, one-in-eight births (12.9%) are to a smoking mother, 17.3% in Scarborough, compared with 10.5% in England. As well as Scarborough, rates are significantly higher in Harrogate 13.5% and Ryedale 15.3%.

Service details

The current Stop Smoking Service, Smokefreelife North Yorkshire was commissioned in January 2016 and consisted of a single contract with Solutions4Health Ltd. The service is commissioned to offer an open access service with a particular focus on identified priority populations for North Yorkshire.