Smokefree NHS - About Us
Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable illness and lost years of life with 2 in 3 long-term smokers dying prematurely, and is still a major risk factor for many health problems, including cardiovascular disease, lung disease and at least 16 types of cancers.
The Smokefree NHS Programme aims to make treating tobacco dependency a clinical priority and reduce tobacco-related harm and health inequalities. It also supports the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care System (ICS) to achieve the North East Smokefree Declaration.
The 10 Year Health Plan for England (2025) aims to reduce the harms caused by smoking, help people stay healthy and reduce admissions to NHS services, and is a key driver for the continued work on this agenda.
All key partners in the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) are also responsible for supporting the implementation of this objective in partnership with the programme.
The programme is governed by and accountable to the ICS Healthier & Fairer prevention board, and receives strategic advice from the NENC Smokefree NHS/Treating Tobacco Dependency Taskforce, which now has a remit as an expert advisory group.
The Taskforce is the NENC multi-agency strategic group, and is jointly chaired by Dr Ruth Sharrock, Respiratory consultant and ICB clinical lead for Tobacco Dependency, and Chris Woodcock, Director of Public Health for Hartlepool.
Membership includes representation from senior consultants in NHS trusts, Local Pharmaceutical Committee, local authority public health tobacco commissioners, the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID) regional team, NHS England regional team and Fresh.
It was set up by Fresh and Prof Eugene Milne in 2017, following on from a summit chaired in March 2017 by Prof Peter Kelly (then Public Health England) to energise the NHS to view smoking as a clinical chronic relapsing condition – an addiction which most smokers try to overcome during their lives rather than being treated as a lifestyle choice.
The programme seeks to provide leadership through effective collaboration between national, regional and local agencies and partners, and supports a regional interim target to reduce smoking to 5% by 2030 and overall ambition of zero smoking as set out in the North East Declaration for a Smokefree Future.
A 2025 ASH survey and report cited the NENC ICB as an excellent example of integrating tobacco control in wider ICB work and strong leadership & commitment towards this agenda. Fresh also hosts the Smokefree NHS programme team on behalf of the NENC ICB.
As part of the wider regional tobacco team, Fresh and the Smokefree NHS programme have previously contributed to consultations on the ongoing Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The programme remains committed to supporting future consultations as required.
Quarterly briefings: The Smokefree NHS programme publishes quarterly briefings to highlight key activities. Find below briefings by Quarter:
