In normal times smokers seeking help to quit would be able to
meet face-to-face with a trained professional to get counselling
and stop smoking medications like nicotine replacement therapy.
However, from one day to the next, on March 23rd 2020
this became impossible. A new report published today [Thursday
7th January] by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and
Cancer Research UK finds that instead of shutting up shop, local
authority stop smoking service staff worked from home supporting
smokers over the phone and online [1].
This was the seventh annual report [2] looking at local tobacco
control and smoking cessation services in England, providing a
vital snapshot of how local authorities across England are
working towards the national ambition to be smoke-free by 2030
during the COVID-19 pandemic. As one respondent highlighted [1]:
“GPs were focusing on other things, vape shops were closed,
and pharmacists were prioritising other work.”
Alison Cox, Director of Prevention at Cancer Research UK, which
funded the study, said:
“Pandemic or not, stopping smoking is one of the best things
you can do for your health. Even after a cancer diagnosis,
quitting can improve your outlook and make treatment more
effective. Throughout 2020, local authorities continued to
provide much-needed support to help people quit – yet the UK
Government rewarded such efforts with a freeze to the public
health budget. Councils desperately need more, and longer-term,
funding to deliver these vital services.”
The report shows that councils were able to innovate in many ways
to address gaps in support, from using volunteers to get
medication to patients, to ensuring support reached the most
vulnerable by including information about services in emergency
food parcels.
A key challenge faced by services included getting medication to
people, particularly those who were shielding. Councils stepped
up to this challenge, making arrangements with online pharmacies
and even hand-delivering medication to ensure people got the
support they needed.
One common area of innovation was developing targeted support for
vulnerable populations. Three fifths of local authorities made
special provisions for vulnerable smokers, including those who
were homeless and people who were shielding.
Councillor Ian Hudspeth, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council and
Chair of the Local Government Association Community Wellbeing
Board, said:
“As this report highlights, council public health teams have
worked closely with local charities and community groups to
rapidly adapt services and reach out to residents who are most
vulnerable to help them give up smoking and protect them from the
worst effects of COVID-19.
“We must continue to support people to give up smoking
altogether, through the current crisis and beyond, if we are to
save lives in the immediate and longer-term.
“Councils can help the Government to achieve its ambition of
eliminating smoking in England by 2030, through their tobacco
control and other public health and support services. However,
they need certainty over their long-term funding to help do
so.”
Another big problem for services was the decline in referrals
from the NHS as the health service retreated to manage the
pandemic. Here too, councils found creative solutions. These
included engaging GP practices to pro-actively text patients with
a history of smoking, and reaching out to smokers through a local
housing provider as part of efforts to reduce secondhand smoke
exposure as we all spent more time inside.
Dr Jeanelle De Gruchy, President of the Association of Directors
of Public Health, said:
“COVID-19 makes addressing the preventable causes of
ill health, with a particular focus on tackling health
inequalities, more urgent than ever. This report is therefore a
timely reminder of the high-quality services and campaigns that
local public health teams lead that support people to quit
smoking and improve their health and wellbeing.”
Many councils also developed strong public communication
strategies to motivate smokers to quit as well as encouraging
them to use their local services. In Sheffield, an integrated
campaign reaching out to smokers and specifically targeting
vulnerable residents who were shielding was launched, delivered
using social marketing and working with other community partners.
Hazel Cheeseman, Director of Policy at Action on Smoking and
Health (ASH), said:
“Our report demonstrates the ambition and commitment of
councils to improving the health of their communities. During the
toughest year for public health in our lifetime councils rose to
the challenge, going above and beyond to provide vital support to
those wanting to quit smoking. Councils deserve our praise, but
they also deserve more funding for public health from Government
after years of cuts.”
ENDS
References
[1] Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and Cancer Research UK
(CRUK). Stepping
up: The response of stop smoking services in England to the
COVID-19 pandemic. January 2021.
[2] For previous reports go to https://ash.org.uk/local-resources/annual-local-authority-tobacco-control-report/
