Agenda item

Amelia Thorp, Public Health Specialist, to provide update on progress of the Tobacco Control Programme

Amelia Thorp, Public Health Specialist, provided an update on measures being taken locally to improve tobacco control with the aid of the following powerpoint presentation:-

 

Why prioritise tobacco control

-        Smoking was the leading cause of preventable and early deaths in the UK and Rotherham

-        Smoking was the greatest contributor to the total burden of disease in Rotherham

-        Smoking rates in Rotherham > all England (14.5% vs 11.6%)

-        Smoking was the single largest driver of health inequalities locally and nationally

 

National Timeline

-        Government Commitment

In 2019 the Government made a commitment to make England Smokefree by 2030

Smokefree defined as <5% prevalence

-        The Khan Review

Published 2022

Independent review into the Government’s smokefree ambition

Recommendations:-

·        Increase investment

·        Increase age of sale

·        Offer vapes as a substitute for smoking

·        Prioritise prevention in the NHS

-        Stopping the Start

Government plan to create a smokefree generation

Launched 2023

Aimed to address Khan review recommendations

Included launch of Swap to Stop and Smoking in Pregnancy Incentives Schemes

-        Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Introduced to House of Commons in 2024

Proposes:

·        Increasing age of sale of tobacco products

·        Ban on display and advertising of vapes

·        Expand smokefree measures to some outdoor settings

·        Strengthen enforcement activity

 

Local Timeline

-        An Internal Audit and Health Needs Assessment was undertaken in 2022 resulting in the establishment of the Rotherham Tobacco Control Steering Group and development of a 3 year multi-partner tobacco control workplan

 

Local Achievements

-        Launch of a new Community Stop Smoking Service in October 2023

-        Implementation of national schemes including Swap to Stop and Smoking in Pregnancy Incentives

-        Embedded hospital provision of specialist stop smoking services for patients at TRFT and RDaSH

-        Expansion of tobacco treatment services to all staff at TRFT and RDaSH

-        The development of a dashboard of indicators to enable meaningful tracking of progress against the strategy and work plan

-        The development of a Rotherham Position Statement on Vapes

 

Local Stop Smoking Services and Support Grant (LSSSSG)

-        Launched alongside the Government’s plan in 2023 with ringfenced funding to support an additional 360,000 people to quit smoking nationally

-        Rotherham was allocated £384,845 for 2024/25, similar amount (to be confirmed annually) each year through to 2028/29

 

Local Impact

-        Supported the delivery of a Local Enhanced Service (LES) including training of staff in primary care to identify, triage and offer stop smoking interventions

-        Initially targeted to focus on high-prevalence and high risk groups with capacity to expand in future

-        Funding also set aside to support additional capacity in the Community Stop Smoking Service

 

South Yorkshire Tobacco Control Alliance (SYTCA)

-        Collaborative partnership between the four local authorities within South Yorkshire and the ICB and wider partners from the public, private and voluntary sector aiming to collectively accelerate our efforts in eliminating smoking across our region and contribute to the achievement of making South Yorkshire Smokefree by 2030

South Yorkshire Campaign

-        Development of the South Yorkshire Brand “Smokefree Starts” in 2023 with the first campaign focusing on Smoking and Mental Health launched in March 2024

-        Campaign materials included:

Smokefree Starts website

TV and radio advertising

Information resources for professionals

Information leaflets and posters for the public

Social media content

-        Follow-up campaign launched in November 2024

 

South Yorkshire Contribution to Yorkshire and the Humber

-        Mass media campaign

8 week mass media campaign launched in March 2025 including TV and radio advertising, OOH advertising, digital and social media advertising, search engine optimisation and launch of campaign website signposting to local services

Campaign evaluation found that 30% of smokers cut down the amount they smoked and 15% made a quit attempt following seeing the campaign

-        Training programme

Developed in partnership with all 15 Yorkshire and Humber local authorities and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT).  It was a 5 year programme aiming to advance the knowledge and skills of those involved in commissioning, managing and delivering tobacco dependency treatment services across Yorkshire and the Humber

 

Work Plan 2025-2029 – Ambition – for Rotherham to become smokefree by 2030 (<5% prevalence)

A.     Strategy and Co-ordination.  Deliver a co-ordinated tobacco control policy, strategy, governance and monitoring system

1.      Create a shared vision, plan, governance structure and set of policies for effective tobacco control across Rotherham

2.      Improve the availability and use of local data on tobacco use, exposure and related health outcomes

 

B.     Quit for good.  Encourage and support smokers to quit for good

3.   Provide high quality community-based smoking cessation support

4.   Deliver a smoke free NHS

5.   Eliminate tobacco dependence in pregnant women

6.   Work with local employers to help staff to quit

 

C.     Enforcement.  Tackle suppliers of cheap, counterfeit and illicit tobacco and nicotine-containing products through delivery of effective enforcement

7.   Create a hostile environment for tobacco fraud and underage sales through intelligence sharing

8.   Tackle illegal activity including sales of counterfeit and illegal nicotine containing products

9.   Change perceptions about illegal tobacco sales and the harms of buying and using illegal vape products

 

D.     Reduce variation in smoking rates by tackling inequalities

10. Deliver targeted and tailored smoking cessation services and communications to reach groups with highest prevalence of smoking.

 

E.     Stop the start.  Reduce the number of people taking up smoking particularly young people

11. Support schools to minimise uptake of smoking and e-cigarette use amongst Rotherham children and young people

12. Reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and de-normalise smoking by expanding and enforcing smokefree place policies

13. Use targeted and mass communication to change attitudes and social norms around smoking and increase quit attempts

 

Vaping in Children

-        Recent local data shows that most students (74%) report never trying vaping, however, the overall number regularly vaping has been increasing since 2017

-        A Vaping Harms Action Plan was being developed in response

 

Rotherham Position Paper on Vapes

-        Vapes are significantly safer than cigarettes and were a valuable harm reduction tool and quitting aid for adults

-        Young people should be discouraged from vaping

-        Vaping amongst pregnant people was safer than tobacco smoking but was not risk free

-        A better balance was needed between minimising promotion of vapes to young people whilst allowing promotion to adults who smoked

-        We do not have all the answers now but on balance there was sufficient evidence to take action to improve the health of local people

 

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-

 

-        The data on vapes was not as strong as that on tobacco; there was a need to understand the prevalence of vapes

-        The South Yorkshire Tobacco Alliance had contributed to the delivery of a Joint Yorkshire and Humber mass media campaign launched in March 2025.  It was well received but difficult to ascertain if that translated into quit attempts

-        The difficulties of enforcement with regard to illicit tobacco.  There were wider networks of Trading Standards that were in communication on a national level as well as sharing intelligence but it was ongoing work

-        There was a Trading Standard representative on the Tobacco Control Steering Group who fed into the action plan

-        Should there be stronger wording than “young people should be discouraged from vaping”

-        86% of the people in Rotherham did not smoke; when speaking to the remaining 14% it was the one joy in their lives whilst acknowledging that they knew they had to quit

-        The TRFT had been part of the successful quit programme screening just under 2,000 people a month, 90% of which received advice as well 50% getting support with nicotine replacement therapy as well

-        The Maternity Service had supported people to reduce the rate of smoking at time of delivery.  It was well below 10% and in that last month had reduced further to 5%.  That had been delivered at cost pressure at the Trust because of decisions that had been made and trying to work through that as partners.  A lot of the work would be recognised as a key part but was not something that was always commissioned so it was a challenge

-        Agencies were all trying to do the right things but were members of the public being given an overview of all the different interventions available and what success they were having

-        The Stop Smoking Services in England was celebrating 25 years of service.  A series of events was to be hosted in Rotherham to celebrate the number of people who had managed to quit in Rotherham over the 25 years.  There was also to be a local event for the professionals to give thanks to them as part of the annual Stoptober campaign

-        Was it better to promote what vapes should be used for i.e. a smoking cessation tool rather than a negative message? Young people tended not to see the link between smoking tobacco and vaping so consideration needed to be given as to how it should/could be promoted

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Tobacco Control Work Plan, developed by the Rotherham Tobacco Control Steering Group be approved and that Board members seek to provide the leadership, support and resources required to enable effective implementation of the priority actions within the organisations they represent.

 

(2)  That further discussion take place between the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services and Public Health with regard to the way forward relating to vaping.

 

(3)  That the development of the Vaping Harms Action Plan, developed with key local stakeholders, be supported.