Agenda item

Gilly Brenner, Public Health Specialist, to present

Gilly Brenner, Consultant in Public Health, presented an update on measures being taken locally and proposals to improve tobacco control aided by the following powerpoint presentation:-

 

Why prioritise tobacco control

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

-        Smoking rates in Rotherham > all England (16.9% vs 13.0%)

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

-        Inequalities in Rotherham were worse than in all England

 

Why invest in tobacco control

-        Estimated societal cost of smoking in Rotherham = £67.5M per year

-        Major disinvestment in tobacco control locally.  Spend per head of population fell by 49% between 2013 and 2018

-        Every £1 invested in smoking cessation = £10 saved in future health care costs and health gains

-        Major cost to NHS – 5.5% of budget

 

Background

Nationally

-        Khan review into Government ambition for smokefree (<5% prevalence) UK by 2030

-        Concern over perceived growth in use of e-cigarettes amongst young people

-        No new national tobacco control plan

-        Relaunched NHS Smokefree Pledge and Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control

Locally

-        Health Needs Assessment and Internal Audit on Tobacco Control in early 2022 – need for better co-ordination locally

-        Re-commissioning of community smoking cessation programme

-        (Re)launch of Health Checks and Lung Checks Programme

 

Rotherham’s response

-        Tobacco Control Steering Group made up of representatives of the Council, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, Get Healthy Rotherham, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Rotherham Local Pharmaceutical Committee

-        Tobacco Control Action Plan

-        Tobacco Control Monitoring Plan

-        E-cigarette position paper

-        Relaunch of NHS and Local Government declarations

 

Action Plan (2022- 2025)

Strategy and Co-ordination

-        Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) – current smokers

-        Smoking status at the time of delivery

-        Smoking attributable mortality (35+)

-        Smoking attributable hospital admissions (35+)

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

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

Quit for Good

-        Provide high quality community-based smoking cessation support

-        Deliver a smokefree NHS

-        Eliminate tobacco dependence in pregnant women

-        Work with local employers to help staff to quit

Strengthening Enforcement

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

-        Tackle illegal activity including sales of counterfeit and illegal nicotine containing products

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

Reducing inequalities

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

Stopping the start

-        Support schools to minimise uptake of smoking and e-cigarettes

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

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

 

Why develop an e-cigarette position statement

-        Increasing availability and popularity – inaction was not an option

-        Individual institutions were already acting in this space – narrow window available for co-ordination

-        Public confusion – need to demystify and clarify messaging

-        Cost of living – push people towards low quality products

-        Limited regulatory and official guidance

-        Public, professional and political interest and concern

 

What’s covered

Acknowledging evidence

-        Harm reduction and quitting aid

-        Young people

-        Pregnant people

-        Promotion

-        Need for action

Areas of focus that we welcome

-        Regulation; medically licence product; guidance; smokefree ambition

Commitments

-        Ensure that vaping was effectively integrated into Stop Smoking Services

-        Minimise the incident of e-cigarette use amongst young people

-        Restrict public messaging, advertising and promotions relating to e-cigarettes

-        De-normalise vape us in public spaces

-        Take measures to minimise the use of potentially unsafe e-cigarette products

 

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised:-

 

·        The Hospital Quit Programme had worked really well but more could be done.  There was an issue with regard to funding for the next year but support from the Council in general was part of the solution

·        Difficulty in obtaining data from GP records to understand what the use of e-cigarettes was.  There was a requirement for better monitoring of them in the Community Smoking Cessation contract as there were concerns regarding the continuous use of e-cigarettes notwithstanding it may still be a better option in terms of harm but it was not known as yet

·        The Community Smoking Cessation Service was part of a holistic service with the Healthy Weight Service.  Due to the timing of contracts ,there had not been opportunity to look at a Community Service for South Yorkshire.  The new contract would be 5 years+

·        There was no control over vaping shops, however, work was taking place through the Trading Standards Team to develop a much better understanding of what shops there were and what they sold with a view to possibly creating a responsible retailer scheme

·        Work was taking place with schools on the use of vapes.  Rotherham United was also carrying out work, in collaboration with Trading Standards, with schools around the issue of vapes and what shops were not acting responsibly.

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Rotherham Tobacco Control Action Plan, Tobacco Control monitoring framework and the E-cigarette position paper be approved and the plans to sign the NHS Smokefree Pledged and (refreshed) Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control be supported.

 

(2)  That the Health and Wellbeing Board partners support a co-ordinated communications push on 8^th March, 2023, National No Smoking Day, promoting the declarations and reinforcing the messaging around smokefree sites.