Celebrating a year of achievements for ASH Wales

It’s the end of another busy year for ASH Wales and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for the invaluable support they’ve given us in 2018 and to wish everybody a very merry Christmas.

Over the past 12 months, ASH Wales has continued to campaign for the introduction of smoke free spaces and tobacco control policies across Wales.

Highlights of the year have included the appointment of Scott Sanders, CEO of Linc-Cymru Housing Association, as the new ASH Wales Chairman. Mr Sanders brings to the role excellent leadership skills and 20 years of experience in the housing and social care sectors. He took over from our former Chairman, John Griffiths, who stepped down after 30 years in tobacco control.

In November ASH Wales welcomed Welsh Assembly members and representatives of the health and charity sectors across Wales to its first Cross Party Group. Chaired by Julie Morgan, the AM for Cardiff North, the group addressed the relationship between smoking and health inequalities in Wales, and heard a presentation from John Britton, of the University of Nottingham, who is Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies.

2018 also saw the continued roll out of smoke free spaces across Wales, following campaigning by ASH Wales. In July Langland Bay in Swansea became Wales’ third smoke free beach and the second in Swansea, following a successful pilot ban at Caswell Bay in 2016.

In May ASH Wales launched a pilot project in Swansea working with 27 GP practices to offer smokers free breath tests using a CO monitor and support to help them to quit.

Throughout the year, ASH Wales continued to raise awareness of the impact of the illegal tobacco market in Wales, supporting the work of Trading Standards teams across Wales and taking part in a road show event in Port Talbot as part of World No Tobacco Day.

The year ahead will see major changes to the perception and practice of smoking in Wales when the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, comes into force. The Act will see Wales become the first country in the UK to ban smoking in outdoor areas, including hospital and school grounds and playgrounds. This will play a major role in the continued de-normalisation of smoking in Wales.

We look forward too, to Cardiff Met becoming Wales’ first smoke free university in September 2019 and will be working closely with the university and encouraging others to follow suit.

The Cross Party Group will hold its second meeting in February when it will once again address the reasons behind smoking prevalence in Wales. This focus is all the more pressing, as we edge closer to the Welsh Government’s target to reduce smoking prevalence among adults to 16% by 2020. With this in mind, ASH Wales will continue to lead the Wales Tobacco Control Alliance, bringing together organisations with an interest in tobacco control to address the key issues driving smoking prevalence.

We very much look forward to continuing to support the valuable work of our partners in 2018 and to raising awareness and campaigning for policies that will one day lead to a smoke-free Wales.

If you want to stop smoking Help Me Quit is run by NHS Wales and will help you to find the stop smoking service that best suits you. Contact them on 0800 085 2219 or visit www.helpmequit.wales.

A helping hand for smokers from hospital’s Smoke Free Officer

Smokers lighting up at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, are set to be given more than just a ticking off from the hospital’s Smoke Free Officer.

Barry Butler-Huish has been the Smoke Free Environment Officer at the hospital for the past two years, patrolling the grounds speaking to patients, visitors and staff and asking them to stub out their cigarettes and move off the hospital grounds if they want to smoke.

And now he is set to play a major role in helping smokers to give up the habit with Barry now handing out advice on how to access support to stop smoking and referring those who want to stop directly to the NHS Wales Help Me Quit service.
He admits that although smoking has reduced, it is still a problem at the Royal Gwent, despite there being ‘No Smoking’ signs displayed prominently across the site.

“First thing in the morning it’s usually the patients who are out smoking. Later on it’s the visitors. Visiting hours have become longer, with some wards open to visitors from 9am and this has increased smoking on site. There are signs everywhere on the hospital site, but in a setting like this people have other things on their mind and often they don’t notice.”

Challenging some smokers is not a job for the faint hearted and there’s no room for the ‘fear factor’ says Barry, who has previously worked as part of the Royal Gwent Hospital’s Security Team.


But it is having a big heart, not big muscles that makes Barry the right man for the job. Although his job is to enforce the rules, he says he often finds himself acting as a confidante for those he meets on his daily patrols.

“I often feel like a counsellor because people tell me what they are going through and that’s an important part of this role. Generally, people are very open – it doesn’t take long to find out what is going on in their lives.
“I treat everybody on the hospital site as a vulnerable person. Everybody reacts to things differently. Some are very brave and others fall apart. In this role you have to have empathy with the situations people are facing.”

Although the stress of being a patient in hospital or of visiting a sick loved one is a big factor behind the numbers of those smoking at the Royal Gwent, boredom also play a part, says Barry, with many patients nipping out for a cigarette simply to get a change of scene.

He says that the majority of smokers, are apologetic and put their cigarettes out when he approaches them. There are others however, who refuse to comply:

“There’s no one size fits all approach. I tailor how I approach people according to their manner. In most cases they are standing next to a sign anyway. Usually, people apologise and put out their cigarette straight away. But there are always hard-core people who are not going to stop no matter what intervention you offer them.”

Barry patrols the whole site but varies his route and timing every day to ensure that regular patients and visitors can’t predict when he’s going to turn up: “It’s best to keep people on the back foot. They never know when you’re going to appear, so they are less likely to become complacent.”

Next summer when the Public Health (Wales) Act comes into force, smoking will be banned by law across the hospital site with those that do smoke subject to a fine if they refuse to move off site to smoke.

Barry is keen however for this to be the last resort and for all smokers to be offered help to stop smoking within the hospital setting or by being referred to stop smoking support in the community via the Help Me Quit service. He will be working alongside staff from many departments across the hospital, to achieve this and to provide a clean and smoke free environment for patients and the people who care for them.

“Lots of people simply need help to stop smoking. But they don’t know where to turn and they don’t realise that there is free help available. My role is being expanded so that I’ll be giving that advice either during my patrols or from a pop-up stand in the entrance to the hospital. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to receive help to stop smoking – and speaking to myself and other staff could be their first step towards getting there.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of the tobacco control campaign group, ASH Wales, said she welcomes the news that Barry’s role is to be expanded:

“Barry is in a great position to start conversations with smokers about giving up. It’s crucially important to protect hospital staff, visitors and patients from the harms of second-hand smoke and to de-normalise this activity within the hospital environment.”

If you are a smoker who would like support to give up, contact Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219, visit helpmequit.wales or text HMQ to 80818.

If you want to stop smoking Help Me Quit is run by NHS Wales and will help you to find the stop smoking service that best suits you. Contact them on 0800 085 2219 or visit www.helpmequit.wales.

Why Wales is falling out of love with cigarettes

Attitudes towards smoking are changing in Wales with support gathering for stronger tobacco control.

The results of ASH Wales’ latest opinion poll in conjunction with YouGov, reveal significant changes in the way people in Wales view smoking cigarettes and a desire for more to be done by the Government to reduce smoking prevalence.

Significantly too, the results reflect the effectiveness of measures to de-normalise smoking, with only 55% of respondents saying they view smoking cigarettes as common, compared to 63% in 2017 and 67% in 2016 – a 12% drop in two years.

Tobacco control

When asked about tobacco control measures, 39% of Welsh adults said they felt the government was not doing enough, with only 8% saying they were doing too much.
Strikingly it was those in the 18 to 24-year-old age group who were most keen to see more done to limit smoking, with 50% of them saying the Government is not doing enough. Among adults in that age group, only 5% said they thought the Government was doing too much. Meanwhile there was strong support shown for additional tobacco control policies with 62% of Welsh adults supporting a ban on smoking in all cars and 87% of respondents in favour of increased penalties for selling tobacco to children – including 84% of smokers. Interestingly too, over half of Welsh adults, 53%, believe that it is unacceptable to expose under 18-year-olds to smoking on TV.

Second hand smoke

The survey also looked at the extent to which adults in Wales are exposed to second hand smoke and found that 14% of Welsh adults live in a home where someone smokes most days. They are most likely to be exposed to second hand smoke while socialising, 71% and while waiting for public transport, 65%. Those most likely to be exposed to second hand smoke in their own home from someone else were people living in social housing.

E-cigarettes

Survey participants were asked about vaping in a bid to build a picture of growing cohort of e-cigarette users in Wales. The survey found that the number of e-cigarette users who are now ex-smokers has increased from 49% in 2017 to 57% in 2018. Encouragingly the majority of users, 56%, use e-cigarettes to help them to quit cigarettes, keep off tobacco or cut down the amount they smoke. Health was given as the number one reason for using e-cigarettes by the majority of users.

To see a full copy of the report click here

]If you want to stop smoking Help Me Quit is run by NHS Wales and will help you to find the stop smoking service that best suits you. Contact them on 0800 085 2219 or visit www.helpmequit.wales.

COPD and smoking – an expert’s guide

Expert interview · 2018

This interview records Professor Keir Lewis’ comments from COPD Awareness Day 2018. Some prevalence and service figures reflect that time. For current public guidance, see smoking and COPD.

Every year thousands of people in Wales are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties.

The main cause of the condition is smoking and, according to the NHS, quitting smoking is the best way for sufferers to relieve their symptoms and slow down the progression of the condition.

To  mark COPD Awareness Day we met Professor Keir Lewis, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, Swansea University and
Consultant at Hywel Dda Health Board to find out more about the condition, how it affects people’s lives and its link to smoking.

How prevalent is COPD in Wales?

We believe it affects around 2 to 5% of the population. Around 74,000 to 80,000 people have been diagnosed with COPD in Wales – that’s about the equivalent of a whole Millennium Stadium’s worth of people. Around 3,000 people are diagnosed with COPD every year in Wales. However, we think that in reality, there are probably twice as many people with COPD because double that number have not yet been diagnosed by a doctor which means there’s a huge unmet need. Across the UK we think there are around 35,000 deaths a year from COPD and in Wales it’s around 5,000 deaths a year.

What are the main causes of COPD?

Around 85 per cent of COPD cases are caused by smoking directly. Even if you’ve only just been diagnosed with COPD, stopping smoking is the only thing that will help relieve all four symptoms of COPD and help you to live longer. No drugs will help in the same way. There are other ways of developing COPD, such as certain occupations where the lungs are being exposed to damaging particles and gases. There may also be a genetic element with some people more prone to it and it can run in families. But all these together make up less than 15 per cent of the causes.

How does COPD affect people’s lives?

The impact of COPD on people’s health and quality of life is massively underestimated. Many people don’t realise that it can become like a long-term disability which affects carers, the family and people’s ability to work. It can go from being mild and just a cough now and again to being 24 hours a day on oxygen, sitting in a chair or bedbound. In many ways people’s quality of life and the anxiety and depression they suffer as a result is worse with COPD than with many other illnesses.

Is there enough awareness about the causes and symptoms of COPD?

Many people just dismiss their symptoms as a ‘smokers cough’. As a result, many of them never get diagnosed or not until the condition is in the very advanced stages. Others seem to accept the condition as being their fault and they don’t seek help. It’s a Cinderella disease that sufferers blame themselves for. It’s important however that help is sought in the early stages of the disease. The first three to five years are very important as this is when there is the fastest rate of lung decline.

What else do you think should be done to help prevent more people from developing COPD

Around 1 in 5 smokers will develop COPD. More needs to be done to raise awareness of COPD and the dangers of smoking. We are doing more research and developing newer treatments than ever before but prevention is better than cure. Raising the price of cigarettes is the most important way of reducing smoking prevalence at a population / public health level and we should put more pressure on our politicians to do this. COPD is almost entirely preventable and that’s the sad thing.'[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Calls for greater quit smoking support for renters after figures reveal high smoking rates

NEW figures on smoking in Wales reveal renters are the most likely to smoke, leading to calls for more support to help them quit.

The figures, based on a survey carried out for ASH Wales by YouGov, reveal smoking prevalence among social housing residents is 24% and 18% for those renting from a private landlord.

The average across all housing tenures is 13% and smoking prevalence among those who own or part own their home is the lowest at 10%.

According to ASH Wales, these figures go some way to explain the stark health inequalities across different housing tenures and show the need for more targeted support and guidance around smoking cessation.

It is calling for those who work with people in rented accommodation, such as housing associations and debt advisors, to be given more training and support on how to start conversations about smoking and its impact on health and finances.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales, said:

“Smoking is not a lifestyle choice, it is an addiction, these figures show where support is needed to help smokers break that addiction. It is vitally important we use this information to direct smoking cessation resources to where they are most needed.

“The housing sector in Wales is committed to improving the health of vulnerable people and we are keen they are given the right support and guidance around starting that stop smoking conversation with their tenants.”

The figures also highlight the increased exposure to second hand smoke among those in rented accommodation compared to home owners.

Social housing residents are twice as likely as residents in other housing tenures to be exposed to second hand smoke in their own home.

Nearly half of these residents (45%) will be exposed to smoke from someone situated outside their immediate home, such as a neighbour. This compares to just 21% across all other housing tenures.

Worryingly the young and vulnerable are most at risk with second hand smoke exposure higher among households with children, compared to households without children. Over a quarter of respondents, 27%, in homes with children aged 0-5 are exposed to second hand smoke from someone living elsewhere, such as a neighbour.

The smoking figures for Wales mirror those in England where ASH England has revealed that smoking is twice as common in social housing than in other tenures. A report launched in Parliament, Smoking in the home; new solutions for the smoke free generation, calls for greater engagement from housing and health professionals in the communities that need the most support.

Despite the high rates of smoking prevalence among housing tenants, ASH Wales’ survey also reveals 87% of Welsh adults stating that they would prefer to live with a non-smoker.

One in five of all Welsh adults still smoke and smoking kills more than 5,000 people in Wales every year. Exposure to second hand smoke carries significant health risks for both children and adults including increasing children’s risk of lower respiratory tract infections by around 50% and doubling a child’s risk of invasive meningococcal disease.

Scott Sanders, CEO of Linc-Cymru Housing Association has recently been appointed as ASH Wales chairman. He believes the housing sector can help reduce health inequalities:

“Affordable housing plays an important role in providing safe and secure environments from which people can build their lives, but it goes beyond that as everything we do must contribute to people’s health, well-being and prosperity.

“Achieving this will help to reduce the inequality that exists in communities and reduce the correlation between socio-economic status and the prevalence of smoking.”

ASH Wales has published information for housing associations and landlords on how to reduce smoking prevalence and implement smoke free policies. Download this at ash.wales/campaign/smokefree-homes/.

END

Editor’s Notes
Enquiries: Diana Milne | PR Officer ] | diana@ashwales.org.uk | 02920 490621|
Or Beth Mahoney | Marketing and Communications Manager | Beth@ashwales.org.uk | 02920 490621|

A summary of the YouGov results is available here: https://ash.wales/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/yougov2018-housing-.pdf

Interviews available. Please contact using the details above.

About us
ASH Wales Cymru is the leading organisation working for a smokefree Wales via strong tobacco control policy and country-wide campaigns. We work to raise awareness of the health, social and economic effects of smoking by engaging with communities, young people and partners across Wales.
NB: Please refer to ASH Wales Cymru as a ‘tobacco control campaign group’

Website www.ashwales.org.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/ASHCymru
Twitter www.twitter.com/ASHWalesCymru[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Prosecution of illegal tobacco seller who sold products containing excessive levels of cadmium metal is welcomed by ASH Wales

illegal tobacco, powys, trading standards

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1541759028857{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]ASH Wales welcomes the prosecution of an illegal tobacco seller who advertised products on Facebook and says it should send a strong message to others hoping to make money from this deadly illicit trade.

Matthew Rawsthorne of Swallow Drive, Newtown, was prosecuted by Powys County Council’s Trading Standards Service as part of Operation Dale, an ongoing crackdown on the supply of illegal tobacco in the county.

At Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 7, magistrates heard that officers had seized a large quantity of illegal tobacco from the defendant’s home in November 2017. Samples of the tobacco were tested by Trading Standards and found to contain excessive levels of cadmium, a heavy metal which causes increased health risks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”11297″ img_size=”Full”][vc_single_image image=”11314″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1541759058299{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Magistrates also heard that Rawsthorne used Facebook to advertise his illicit tobacco products. They were informed that trademark holders confirmed that the tobacco was counterfeit and that it did not comply with the appropriate legislation in terms of labelling requirements and the necessary safety warnings were absent. A warrant was executed at the then home of Rawsthorne and counterfeit pouches of Cutters Choice and Golden Virginia product with a street value of £10,000 were found.

Rawsthorne pleaded guilty to two offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and four offences under the Tobacco related Product Regulations 2016 – two for not proving the adequate health warns and two for the wording not being in English as required by the regulations.

In sentencing Rawsthorne, magistrates handed down a 12-month community order, and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work.  He was also ordered to pay full costs of £4,670 and a £85 victim surcharge.

Across Wales, illegal tobacco continues to undermine key measures aimed at reducing smoking prevalence, including taxation, labelling, age restrictions on sales and point of sale display bans. It is sold so cheaply that is easily available to those who would not otherwise be able to afford it, including children.

Currently illegal tobacco makes up 15% of tobacco sales in Wales and 45% of smokers in Wales have been offered illegal tobacco products. The average price of a pack of 20 illegal cigarettes is just £4.

ASH Wales is leading the campaign to tackle illegal tobacco in Wales and in 2014, we led the first pan-Wales research project into the illegal tobacco market in Wales. We then went on to support the launch of the Welsh Government’s illicit tobacco programme.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive Officer of ASH Wales, said: “We applaud the efforts of all those involved in this successful prosecution and hope this sends a message to others that this activity will not be tolerated.

“Illegal tobacco currently makes up 15% of all tobacco sales in Wales – the highest level in the UK – and continues to undermine efforts to tackle smoking prevalence.

“Criminals sell illegal tobacco at pocket money prices to those who would not otherwise be able to afford it, disregarding all tobacco control measures.

“It represents a major threat to the health of the nation greatly increasing the numbers of those at risk of developing smoking related conditions, which currently contribute to 5,388 deaths and 26,489 hospital admissions a year in Wales.

“This is a crime that threatens lives across Wales and resources must be directed towards helping to stamp it out.”

Since it launched two years ago, Operation Date has had a major impact on the illegal tobacco market in Powys. Describing its achievements so far, Clive Jones, the council’s Professional Lead for Trading Standards, Community safety and Emergency Planning said:

“Over the past two years we have seized nearly 50,000 illegal cigarettes and 50kg of illegal tobacco as part of our overarching operation on illicit products, named Operation Date.

“The supply of illegal tobacco bypasses government tobacco control measures, such as not selling tobacco to children and availability is increasing.  This makes it more likely that youngsters will start smoking and we find that counterfeit products often contain high levels of heavy metals such as cadmium.

“Our surveillance on illegal activity involving counterfeit products of any variety is increasing and we ask users of auction sites or any person offered suspected counterfeit goods to be vigilant and to warn us of any suspicious sellers through our contact points.  Alternatively ring Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. This action would not have been possible without the support of Dyfed Powys Police and we wish to thank officers from the road policing team and intelligence units.”

Cllr James Evans, Cabinet Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Trading Standards, went on to say that the council is working to raise awareness among smokers of the harm caused by the supply of illegal tobacco.

“Combating the supply of counterfeit and illegal tobacco is one of the priorities of our Trading Standards Service.  We are looking to increase the understanding of the impact it has amongst smokers and local communities when shadow activities occur with illicit products.

“This should also serve as a warning to those involved in the supply and sale of illegal tobacco that we will take the appropriate action with partners that is necessary to combat this.”

Editor’s Notes
Enquiries: Diana Milne | PR Officer ] | diana@ashwales.org.uk | 02920 490621
Or Beth Mahoney | Marketing and Communications Manager | Beth@ashwales.org.uk | 02920 490621|
Interviews available. Please contact using the details above.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]