Housing evidence / case study · working draft
Trafford / Greater Manchester pharmacy e-cigarette pilot
A large pharmacy-supported e-cigarette pilot reached routine/manual workers and social-housing tenants, with useful findings on deprivation and retention.
01 / THE APPROACH
What was tried
Six community pharmacies in Trafford offered smokers a free e-cigarette, charger and liquids, alongside practical advice and cessation support. The 2019 pilot sought to reach people in routine and manual work and social housing.
People heard about it through workplace promotion, local publicity, word of mouth and posters in social-housing settings. The pharmacy was the place to obtain products and advice, so housing organisations could help people find the offer without becoming the treatment provider.
Researchers followed participants to assess smoking and differences between more and less deprived communities.
02 / THE FINDINGS
What was learned
Of 871 entrants, 184 (21.1%) had a breath-test-confirmed quit at four weeks. Including unconfirmed reports, 267 (30.7%) were recorded as quit.
Deprived communities contributed many quitters in absolute numbers, but individual quit rates were lower in the most deprived areas. Only 77 people supplied twelve-month data, so longer-term estimates are very uncertain. The pilot demonstrates reach and early quitting alongside a substantial follow-up problem.
03 / TRANSFER TO WALES
What Wales could learn
Pharmacies supplied products and advice, while community and housing publicity helped people find the offer. Housing teams did not have to become treatment providers.
Early quitting and reach were encouraging, but long-term follow-up was very limited and deprivation-related differences remained. Keeping contact is part of the delivery challenge.
Sources & review
Coffey et al. (2022), Evaluation of a pharmacy supported e-cigarette smoking cessation intervention in Northwest England. Public primary paper at PMC9273914. Case-level practical review 23 October 2026: six pharmacies, community/housing publicity, early CO-verified outcome and very limited twelve-month follow-up. Historical pilot, not a current service specification.
