Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director for Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

Cabinet is asked:

1.    To note that whilst this approach will maximise the impact of stop smoking and wider tobacco control work in Rotherham, that current national investment is still not sufficient to meet the Smokefree 2030 ambition.

2.    To endorse the Tobacco Control Work Plan (2022/23 – 2024/25).

3.    To invest £139,478 to balance our investment across the 5 areas of the Tobacco Control Work Plan. This funding will be drawn from the existing Smoking at Time of Delivery (SATOD) provision.

Consideration was given to the report which set out the options and recommendations regarding the funding of Tobacco Control in Rotherham. The Government had set an ambition to make England smokefree by 2030 (defined as achieving a smoking prevalence of under 5%) and had commissioned the Khan Review into smokefree 2030 policies. The review was published in 2022 and found that without further action, the 2030 target would not be met and therefore recommended an increase in investment into smokefree policies nationally. 

Prevalence of smoking in Rotherham was significantly higher than the national average. 16.9% of Rotherham adults (around 35,400 people) were smokers in 2021 compared to 13.0% nationally, creating a significant health, care and productivity burden for the Borough. Smoking was the single greatest contributor to the total burden of disease in Rotherham. It also negatively affected earnings and employment prospects. In Rotherham, the cumulative impact of these effects amounted to a total loss of £81.3 million through productivity losses, £30.4 million in smoking related lost earnings, £43 million in smoking related unemployment and £9.7 million in smoking related early deaths. 

Rotherham’s Tobacco Control Steering Group had developed the multi-partner Tobacco Control Work Plan for Rotherham (2022-2025) with an ambition for Rotherham to become smokefree by 2030.The Work Plan was aligned to the evidence base behind the Khan Review and structured into the following five key aims which focused on the local actions within the remit of local partners to deliver and recognise that successful tobacco control requires a coordinated approach with a balance of delivery across the five elements: Strategy and Coordination; Quit for Good; Enforcement; Reduce Variation and Stop the Start. Councillor Roche gave details on each element during the meeting and further information was set out in paragraph 2 of the report.

The current spending on Tobacco Control was set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report. The option to continue with this spending was not recommended as it was not balanced across the full Tobacco Control Work Plan. This arrangement assumed budgets were spent according to historical agreements and would see a continuation of focus on smoking cessation, including the Council funding NHS activity on smoking in pregnancy, leaving gaps in sustainable delivery across the wider tobacco control remit.

Cabinet were asked to endorse the Tobacco Control Action Plan and support the approach to re-allocate current Council spending on tobacco control to deliver a more balanced approach in Rotherham. In particular supporting the managed withdrawal of Public Health Grant contribution to the Smoking at Time of Delivery service as NHS partners progress delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitments on smoking and health inequalities which include a smokefree pregnancy pathway.

It was noted that whilst the recommended approach would maximise the impact of tobacco control work in Rotherham, current resourcing was still not thought to be sufficient to meet the Smokefree 2030 ambition. The Steering Group would continue work in partnership to maximise the impact of its work and seek additional funding.

During the meeting the Director of Public Health confirmed that smoking was still the biggest public health issue in Rotherham. Councillor Cusworth expressed her support for the proposals, especially in relation to vaping amongst children. This had been an issue raised by the Youth Cabinet.

Councillor Roche confirmed that no alterations were required to the plan following the announcements made at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2023.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet note that whilst the approach to maximise the impact of stop smoking and wider tobacco control work in Rotherham, the current national investment is still not sufficient to meet the Smokefree 2030 ambition.

2.    That Cabinet endorse the Tobacco Control Plan (2022/23 – 2024/25.)

3.    That Cabinet agree to invest £139,478 to balance the investment across five areas of the Tobacco Control Work Plan. This funding would be drawn from the existing Smoking at Time of Delivery (SATOD) provision.