Supporting people who smoke to stop
Too often smoking is referred to as a “habit” or a “lifestyle choice” but smoking is an addiction. It is one that most people who smoke start as children and, tragically, up to 2 out of 3 people who smoke who don’t quit will die early.
We know many people who smoke in the North East would like to quit at any given time, and around half are trying to cut down, but stopping completely can feel hard. And for those who do want to quit, health is the main reason.
Reducing smoking prevalence to 5% or lower will mean both increasing quit attempts and people’s success rates when they make a quit attempt. It also means a greater understanding as to the reasons why people fail to succeed when they try to quit.
Fresh supports a system-wide approach to stop smoking support, with the person at the heart and the choice of how and where they quit. Ensuring access to as many evidence-based options as possible is important in order to increase engagement and quitting success at the individual level.
Support to ADPH and NHS
Fresh supports the ADPH North East Tobacco Commissioners Network to fulfill their position statement on Helping Smokers to quit, supporting initiatives like the regional Patient Group Direction and Pharmacy supply service.
The Tobacco Commissioners Network is an important group that supports effective commissioning of stop smoking services and interventions to maximise overall population impact. Fresh supports and facilitate the system-wide approach between Local Authorities and the NENC ICB, that puts the person at the centre in order to achieve our collective vision of a Smokefree future.
We also provide ongoing support to the Association of Directors of Public Health North East and the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board around the delivery of prevention within the NHS through the Treating Tobacco Dependency programme.
Fresh is supporting the Smokefree NHS taskforce to ensure high-quality delivery of NHS Tobacco Dependency Treatment Services and explore opportunities for further development and expansion of NHS services.
Read about the work of the Tobacco programme | North East and North Cumbria NHS (northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk)
We know that some people who smoke will require more support to quit and it is important that this help is targeted to them. Two key priority groups are pregnant people who smoke and those with a mental health condition and we are members of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group – ASH and also the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership – ASH
Vaping
With increased focus on vaping, we work with regional and local partners and local tobacco alliances to cascade and discuss new research and information relating to quitting and tobacco harm reduction to help achieve the Smokefree 2030 ambition.
We are providing strategic leadership and guidance around vaping recognising that it is less harmful than tobacco smoking and help smokers to quit but as it’s not risk free we don’t want non-smokers including children and young people, to take up vaping.
The NENC ICB Smokefree NHS/Treating Tobacco Dependency Taskforce has also updated its SFNHS vaping position statement for 2025.
To find out more about latest developments and data around vaping visit: Vaping and Tobacco Harm Reduction – ASH
Association of Directors of Public Health NE - position statement nicotine vaping
We liaise closely with the ADPHNE on vaping developments and they have a position statement on nicotine vaping.
Read the ADPHNE Position Statement on Nicotine Vaping – updated October 2024
One of the key ways to reduce smoking prevalence is to increase the numbers of smokers who try to quit each year and encourage them to use effective ways to stop – from stop smoking services to quit aids and vaping.
Fresh works to empower smokers with the awareness and the motivation to make quit attempts and signpost local support through year-round campaigns and communications.
What is the link between smoking & deprivation? Dr Sharon Cox
Dr Sharon Cox from the Tobacco & Alcohol Research Group at University College London looks at the link between smoking & deprivation – who needs the most support to stop & what works best? Filmed at the Fresh “Smokefree Future” conference in Sept 2023.