In 2019, the government set an objective for England to be smoke-free by 2030, meaning only 5% of the population would smoke by then. Without achieving this objective, the government will simply not meet its manifesto commitment “to extend healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035”. It will also prevent the government from fulfilling its ambition to save more lives as part of a new 10-Year Cancer Plan.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/10-year-cancer-plan-call-for-evidence
A review found that without further action, England will miss the smoke-free 2030 target by at least 7 years, and the poorest areas in society will not meet it until 2044. To have any chance of hitting the smoke-free 2030 target, we need to accelerate the rate of decline of people who smoke, by 40%.
Promote vaping
The government must embrace the promotion of vaping as an effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco. We know vapes are not a ‘silver bullet’ nor are they totally risk-free, but the alternative is far worse.
Improve prevention in the NHS
Prevention must become part of the NHS’s DNA. To reduce the £2.4 billion that smoking costs the NHS every year, the NHS must deliver on its commitments in the Long Term Plan. It must do more, offering smokers advice and support to quit at every interaction they have with health services, whether that be through GPs, hospitals, psychiatrists, midwives, pharmacists, dentists or optometrists. The NHS should invest to save, committing resource for this purpose.
Government says England will be smoke-free by 2030. But how will it get there?
Smoking causes nearly 1 in 5 cancer cases and more than 1 in 4 cancer deaths each year in the UK. Decades of policy action have steadily cut the UK’s smoking rates to one of the lowest in Europe. But with around 1 in 7 people still smoking; tobacco continues to place an enormous cost on our society and our economy.
Last November, the UK Government published its vision to put “prevention at the heart of our nation’s health”, recognising the importance of preventing cancer amongst other long-term health conditions. A new ‘green paper’, published yesterday, poses some new and old ways that the Government might deliver on this. And when it comes to tackling smoking, the plan to make England smoke-free by 2030 is bold.
“We want to see smoking become a thing of the past, so it’s great to see the Government pledge to make this happen,” says Kruti Shrotri, Cancer Research UK’s policy manager.
But getting there can’t just be business as usual. If the Government really intends on achieving a smoke-free England by the end of the next decade, continued action on smoking is vital.
Reducing smoking rates will also help tackle health inequality. Right now, the gap in life expectancy between the richest and the poorest is widening. And because smoking rates are highest amongst the most vulnerable in society, tackling smoking is the single best thing we can do to improve that gap.
What is the cost Smoking?
The cost of smoking to the UK Government is approximately £12.6 billion a year, made up of £1.4 billion spent on social care for smoking related care needs, £2.5 billion spent on NHS services and £8.6 billion of lost productivity in businesses.
But what is smoking costing you personally?
Half of all life-long smokers die early, losing on average 10 years of their life. Smoking related deaths makes up to 16% of all deaths across the UK and smoking is the largest cause of preventable death in England. Smoking has an effect on most organs, here is how:
- Brain – Smoking increases the risk of having a stroke by at least 50%
- Heart – Smoking can double the risk of having a heart attack
- Bones – Smoking can cause bones to become week and brittle which increases the risk of osteoporosis in women
- Lungs – Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from COPD
- Circulation – Smoking increases blood pressure and heart rate
- Fertility – Smoking can cause a lack of sexual appetite and impotency in men, and can make it harder for females to conceive
- Mouth and throat: Smoking can increase the risk of cancer in lips, tongue, throat, voice box and gullet
- Stomach – Smoking increases the chance of getting stomach cancer or ulcers
- Skin – Smoking prematurely ages skin by between 10 and 20 year
Key facts cover the latest year of data available:
- 506,100 hospital admissions attributable to smoking. Similar to 2018/19 but 10% higher than 2009/10 when it was 461,700.
- 74,600 deaths attributable to smoking
Decrease of 3% from 2018 (77,000) and 9% from 2009 (82,000)
- 710 thousand prescription items to help people stop smoking dispensed
Decrease of 4% from 2018/19 (740 thousand) and 71% from 2009/10 (2.48 million)
The message is clear that smoking tobacco products will become a thing of the past and the Government realises e-cigarettes as a top smoking cessation tool implementing a safer nicotine delivery device while achieving tobacco harm reduction.
Squire Vape Co can help you quit smoking, here’s how;
- We stock all the top branded disposable vapes
- We are always available for advice
- We are happy to work alongside NHS smoke-free
- Get a guide of what to expect when you switch from smoking to vaping
- Get a personalised experience of a heavy smoker for 40 years with COPD
We are dedicated to help you quit smoking, based on the Norfolk / Suffolk border we are here to help.
