Welsh Government’s Renewed Plans to Combat Smoking Rates

An action plan tackling smoking rates across Wales has been launched today (Tuesday 19th September) following partnership work by leading health organisations and Welsh Government.

The renewed Tobacco Control Delivery Plan for Wales for 2017 – 2020 details a number of measures which aim to reduce smoking rates further than the current 19%, prevent young people from taking up the deadly habit in the first place and to improve health outcomes for all our communities.

The original Tobacco Control Delivery Plan – first created in 2012 – set a target of just 16% of the Welsh population still smoking by 2020. Part of renewing the plan for 2017 – 2020 was to see if this ambitious target was still attainable, which the Welsh Government believes it is. The 2016 target was achieved ahead of schedule with 19% adult smoking prevalence recorded in 2015.

There are around 5,450 deaths each year in Wales caused by smoking and the cost to the Welsh NHS is an estimated £302 million per year. Tobacco remains the number one cause of health inequalities; smoking rates among the ‘least deprived’ stand at 9%, versus 28% among the ‘most deprived’ – representing a 19% difference.

New legislation in the Public Health (Wales) Act, will play a key part in the new plan and in de-normalising smoking and protecting non-smokers from exposure to second-hand smoke. Additionally the Well-Being of Future Generations Act 2015 will ensure the impact of tobacco on individuals, now and in the future, will be limited across Wales’ communities.

Minister for Social Services and Public Health, Rebecca Evans, said: “As part of our plan for a healthier and more active Wales, we want to support as many people as possible to give up smoking.

“The Tobacco Control Delivery Plan 2017-2020 aims to make smoking cessation services provided by healthcare professionals more accessible. Reducing the rate of smoking will in turn reduce the number of number of people exposed to second hand smoke.

“I’m pleased that we are leading the way in protecting our future generations through the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017, which includes a ban on smoking in playgrounds and school grounds. In order to continue the remarkable culture-change relating to smoking that we have seen in Wales in recent years, I want everyone to ‘Choose Smokefree’.”

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, said: “2017 marked 10 years since the law banning smoking in enclosed places was introduced in Wales. We have seen public support for smokefree areas increase significantly in that time, more than 70% of the Welsh public support the smoking ban in hospital grounds and more than 60% say it should be banned in spaces, such as parks and beaches.

“The Plan will further reinforce the fact that smoking isn’t a normal, healthy activity for young people to take up and address the need to support those already smoking to quit with inclusive, easily accessible services.

“We thank Welsh Government for their support and for inviting ASH Wales to represent the third sector to renew the Tobacco Control Delivery Plan 2017 to 2020.”

The Tobacco Control Delivery Plan for Wales 2017 – 2020 has been created through the partnership working of Welsh Government, ASH Wales, Public Health Wales and other leading healthcare professionals.

Download The Tobacco Control Delivery Plan For Wales 2017-2020

Youth Quit Smoking Service Reaches Record Numbers

Wales’s only dedicated stop smoking service for young people has helped a record number of young smokers quit since securing funding from Welsh Government.

In the first year of the programme, a total of 334 young people signed up to the six-week course which is run by tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales.

To mark its first birthday, the project has released statistics showing its success. Over this time 124 of the young people quit for good whilst 72% tried to stop.

Of the young people 61% said they had tried to quit without success before taking part in the programme. In addition, 83% said at least one member of their family smoked and over 60% said they had smoked cheap tobacco, often illegal, meaning it bypasses safety measures, health warnings and tax.

The six-week course engages young people who want to stop smoking by involving them in creative activities, which in turn gives trained staff the opportunity to discuss quitting tobacco in a friendly and relaxed manner.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner]

Commit to Quit visited 41 youth provisions including young parent groups, youth centres and Pupil Referral Units – all of which are out-of-school settings across Wales.

Commit to Quit’s unique service is essential to stop the current generation of young people becoming part of the 19% of over 18s who smoke in Wales.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru, said: “Most adult smokers begin experimenting with tobacco in their teenage years and that’s why it is vitally important a targeted service, such as Commit to Quit, is available for young people to give them the facts about tobacco and the deadly harm it causes.

“Our work is all about fitting the specific needs of young people – we go where they hangout, we get their friends involved and we don’t ever judge or patronise them. Thanks to the funding from the Welsh Government, we helped hundreds of teens to lower the amount they smoke or stop altogether.”

Minister for Social Services and Public Health Rebecca Evans said: “Smoking is damaging to people’s health whatever their age. Across Wales, the number of people kicking the habit is increasing, but there is always more to be done reduce the number of people smoking even further.

“The positive progress ASH Wales has been made in helping young people quit smoking is something I welcome. It is crucial that young people fully understand the dangers of smoking early, so they can make healthy life choices for their futures.”

Commit to Quit is funded until March next year and aims to help a further 125 young people to quit in that time.

New Action Plan Reveals Tobacco Control Targets For England

The UK Government has released its Tobacco Control Plan for England, although health charities are already scrutinizing the lack of clear targets and issues around funding to support the aim of a ‘smokefree generation’.

The release of the 5-year Plan has ended 18 months of uncertainty after the previous version expired in 2015. It aims to create a ‘smokefree generation’, meaning a decrease to 5% of the population smoking. ASH in London believe this could be achieved by 2030, whereas in Wales a date is yet to be set for when this could be achieved.

The Plan’s key targets and commitments are:

  • Reduce smoking prevalence among adults from 15.5% to 12% or less
  • Reduce the numbers of 15-year olds who regularly smoke from 8% to 3% or less
  • Reduce smoking in pregnancy rates from 10.7% to 6% or less
  • Maximise the availability of safer alternatives to smoking
  • Maintain high duty rates for tobacco products to make tobacco less affordable
  • Reduce the inequality gap in smoking prevalence between those in routine and manual occupations and the general population

Chief Executive of ASH in London, Deborah Arnott, said: “ASH congratulates Steve Brine for showing his commitment to tobacco control by getting the new Plan published only weeks after taking over as Public Health Minister. The vision of a “smokefree generation” it sets out is a welcome step change in ambition from the last Tobacco Control Plan for England and should be achievable by 2030.”

The Plan calls for an emphasis on local action, rather than national, however this will be in the face of harsh governmental cuts across the country. Public health funding in England will see a real-terms reduction of £600 million a year by 2020/21, on top of an already cut £200 million from the 2015/16 budget. These cuts have hit stop smoking services hard, with these services featuring in the top four for planned cuts by Local Authorities.

Noting this, Deborah Arnott continued: “Funding must be found if the Government is to achieve its vision of a ‘smokefree generation’. The tobacco industry should be made to pay a through a licence fee on the ‘polluter pays’ principle. Tobacco manufacturers are some of the most profitable companies on earth; they can easily afford the costs of radical action to drive down smoking rates.”

Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru, Suzanne Cass, said: “It’s great to finally see England’s Tobacco Control Plan and some aspirational targets contained within it. The Welsh Government is currently updating its Plan, with the involvement and support of various health charities and organisations from across Wales, including ASH Wales.

“Those working on Wales’ renewed Tobacco Control Action Plan will steadfastly take note of the proposed statistics, advice and information enclosed within England’s version and will create attainable yet ambitious targets to continue to improve the health of our nation.”

There is strong public support to see the Government commit to tackling smoking, with 76% supporting continued action to limit the deadly habit and 71% supporting a requirement for tobacco manufacturers to pay for the costs of regulation of the industry, such as a retail register (which has already been agreed to be created in Wales).

Welsh Health Network Calls for Urgent Action to Tackle Smoking and Mental Health

Health professionals in Wales are calling for immediate action to better support those with mental ill health to quit smoking as figures show rates are 14% higher than in the general population.

The Wales Tobacco or Health Network (WTHN), run by tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales, say a full and robust response is needed including; a national bespoke cessation service, training for health workers and a ban on smoking in mental health residential units.

Currently 33% of those with a mental health illness smoke compared to just 19% of the general population across Wales.

Research shows smokers with mental ill health are just as likely to want to quit as the rest of the population, dispelling the myth that it is not a concern for them. It is also not true that smoking relieves stress as many of these feelings are down to nicotine withdrawal which would not exist if the person didn’t smoke.

High smoking rates put those with mental ill health at a much greater risk of premature death, serious illness and a reduced quality of life. It is not just a health issue; high unemployment and the rising cost of tobacco place a heavy financial burden on smokers – a quarter to a third of the entire average income of someone with mental ill health goes on tobacco.

The WTHN, made up of 60 health professionals from across Wales, is calling for decisive action to tackle the issue and has created four key calls. These include:

  • Setting smoking cessation targets in line with the general population
  • Establishing bespoke smoking cessation services developed by and for those with mental illness
  • Amending the Welsh Government’s “Together for Mental Health: Delivery plan” to address training of all mental health support staff
  • Lifting of the exemption that allows smoking in residential mental health units

Smokefree policies in mental health units in Wales lag behind England, where residential units are required by law to enforce smokefree policies and have done so since 2008. In Wales designated rooms in mental health units are exempt from this ban.

In addition many English and Scottish health boards have chosen to make their entire NHS sites smokefree zones. There is significant public support for a change in policy in Wales. According to a 2015 YouGov survey commissioned by ASH Wales, 61% of the Welsh public support a similar law in Welsh mental health provisions.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru, said: “It’s a shocking and sad fact that over 50% of those with schizophrenia die from a smoking-related illness. A person’s physical health should not be overlooked when treating their mental health.

“We know more than 60% of all smokers including those with mental ill health would like to give up therefore we need to ensure every person has as much support as possible to help them quit. We need tailored services, challenging targets and robust cessation training for anyone who works with those with mental ill health.

“There are already proven services out there, such as at Mind Aberystwyth, who are successfully supporting people to take that step away from deadly tobacco. We need to upscale their incredible work to cover all of Wales. We cannot continue to avoid supporting someone to quit smoking based on the fact they also happen to have a mental illness.”

A huge gap in health inequality has emerged which puts those with mental ill health at higher risk from premature death – up to 25 years earlier.

Welsh Smoking Rates Fall but Health Gap Widens

Historical article

This page reports figures published at the time. For the latest smoking rate, deaths, hospital admissions, inequalities and other Wales data, see Smoking statistics and facts in Wales.

New health statistics released today (Thursday 29th June) show the number of smokers in Wales is at a record low of 19%, with a significant decrease in the most affluent areas.

The National Survey for Wales – previously known as the Welsh Health Survey – is an annual survey of the health and wellbeing of more than 10,000 residents.*

The Welsh Government target of 20% smoking prevalence by 2016 has been surpassed, however health inequalities between the least and most deprived people in Wales are increasing.

Smoking rates among the ‘least deprived’ stand at 9%, versus 28% among the ‘most deprived’ – representing a 19% difference and an increase of 1% on last year. The difference between Local Authorities is vast too; the lowest smoking prevalence rate being 14% in Cardiff, Ceredigion and Monmouthshire whilst Neath Port Talbot is the highest at 25%.

The survey also shows that 64% of all smokers would like to give up and 44% have tried. Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru, said: “Thanks to a decade of progressive tobacco control policies, more than 80% of the Welsh population are now smokefree and this is fantastic news.

“However, it is concerning to see the health inequality gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is widening. We need to specifically target those ‘hard to reach’ groups where smoking levels remain high and tailor services, messaging and campaigns to support and capture these groups who have not yet been reached.

“The next target of 16% by 2020 is ambitious and there is much work to be done to ensure we reach this next milestone.”

Other results show 7% of people are current users of e-cigarettes; nicotine-containing devices and the majority of these are smokers who are trying to give up.

“We are happy to see that increasingly more people are taking steps such as using an e-cigarette to move away from deadly cigarettes. Research shows these devices are 95% safer than traditional cigarettes and we fully support their use to get people off tobacco, which kills one in two of its long-term users,” Suzanne Cass continued.

* These smoking prevalence rates are based on just 1 year of data and so the sample sizes for some of the LAs are quite small and this may impact on the accuracy of some of the figures reported. In addition, for the first time these 2016/17 smoking prevalence figures have been produced as part of the National Survey for Wales. In previous years the smoking prevalence figures were produced from the Welsh Health Survey. Given the change in survey methodology it is not possible to compare the 2016/17 smoking rates to those recorded in previous years.

Neath Port Talbot Primary School Gates Become No Smoking Zones

A ban on smoking has been launched at school gates across Neath Port Talbot, declaring them cigarette-free zones.

Tairgwaith Primary School kicked off the health initiative today (Friday 16th June) with all primary schools across the county following suit. Supported by Public Health Wales, Neath Port Talbot is the 11th local authority in Wales to join the ‘Smokefree School Gates’ campaign which is run by tobacco control charity ASH Wales.

Research shows young people are highly influenced by others smoking around them – those with a parent who smokes are 70% more likely to take up the habit.

Smokefree areas also protect from second-hand smoke whilst ‘denormalising’ the deadly habit. Almost half of long-term smokers begin smoking before leaving high school and among children who try smoking around a third become regular smokers within 3 years.

As part of the campaign, ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Wales Cymru has created a supportive toolkit to enable other local authorities and schools – including comprehensives – to get involved with the scheme.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru, said: “Smoking in areas which are created specifically for our young people sends them the completely incorrect message that tobacco is a harmless part of everyday life rather than a deadly and addictive drug. It is essential we set positive examples wherever we can – we do not want our country’s next generation to be the tobacco industry’s next customers.”

Suzanne continued, “We believe children and young people have a right to get an education, play and meet their friends in a clean, smokefree environment. Banning smoking at playgrounds and now school gates is a huge step in the right direction.”

Liz Newbury-Davies, Principal Public Health Practitioner for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg’s Public Health Team, said: “We’re very excited about the launch of smokefree school gates initiative in Neath Port Talbot. The normalisation of healthy behaviours is key in helping to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

“Smokefree school gates will not only be beneficial to the health of the school population but will also positively impact on the environment. We are delighted to have worked in collaboration with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council on this exciting public health campaign.”

The launch was attended by Neath Port Talbot CBC’s Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Culture Councillor Peter Rees; ‘Ospreys in the Community’ team members (who involved pupils in fun, physical activities after the launch); and representatives from Wales’ new quit smoking service ‘Help Me Quit’.