Agenda item

The Director of Public Health submits a report to update the Commission on the action being taken to reduce smoking rates.

The Deputy Director of Public Health presented the report and it was noted that:

·       Smoking remained one of the leading causes of premature death and preventable ill health.

·       14.6% of residents smoked which was higher than the national average. This figure had increased as the Health and Wellbeing Survey that was due soon showed that around 16% now smoked.

·       There were higher rates of smoking in disadvantaged areas of the city.

·       Ethnicity had an impact on likelihood of people starting to smoke.

·       Chewing tobacco and shisha use had higher levels of use here than other areas of the country. However, the percentage was small compared to that of cigarette use.

·       Targeted groups were children and young people, those who had mental illnesses, those who were pregnant and those who were in social housing.

·       Smoking was more likely to continue if the habit began at a younger age.

·       3.5% of young people smoked in Leicester, which was lower than the national average.

·       Those who had long term mental health conditions were more likely to smoke, and were smoking more heavily. This was one of the key reasons that those with mental health conditions had higher mortality rates than the general population.

·       Smoking during pregnancy has a detrimental impact on the development and outcomes. 7.4% of pregnant mothers were smoking at the time of delivery, this was lower than the national average.

·       Herbal smoking was considered safer by some; however it still contains dangerous chemicals.

·       The Tobacco and Vapes bill was at the committee stage.

·       Disposable vapes were to be banned from 1^st June 2025. It was hoped that this would have a fairly quick impact on the rise in numbers of young people vaping.

·       It was being considered how to make vapes less attractive to children.

·       Licensing was being considered for tobacco sales to make smoking less accessible.

·       The definition of a smoke free population was less than 5% of the population smoking.

·       The Leicestershire Partnership Trust had become a smoke free trust in January 2023.

·       Support was being given to foster carers, so they were confident to model positive health behaviours to young people.

·       Housing officers had been given training around smoking cessation so that they would be able to have conversations and signpost tenants.

·       There had been work with Turning Point to help staff provide cessation support.

·       A new marketing campaign had been scheduled for April to target the areas of the city where there were the highest levels of smoking.

·       LiveWell had been the integrated lifestyle service offering smoking cessation services.

·       There had been 1633 people going through the service in 2022/23. Data from the last year was not available due to a new system being in place.

·       57% quit smoking after 4 weeks which was better than the national average.

·       There was confidence the service was reaching the most disadvantaged communities.

·       More government funding had been made available for smoking cessation services for the next 5 years. This was to allow more quit attempts by providing advice and swift support, to link smokers to the most effective interventions, to boost existing behavioural support schemes, to build capacity in local areas to respond to increased demand, and to strengthen partnerships in local healthcare systems.

·       Public Health had planned to use this funding to increase staffing, to provide additional training, to increase availability of Nicotine Replacement Therapies and E-cigarettes, a social marketing and communications campaign and wider tobacco control measures.

·       The NHS Long Term Plan outlined a requirement to provide all people admitted to hospital, who smoke, with an NHS-funded in-house tobacco treatment service by 2023/24.

·       University Hospitals Leicester implemented the CURE programme in Glenfield Hospital, Leicester Royal Infirmary and the General Hospital.

·       Staff were employed by Leicester City Council.

·       Around 700 patients had been referred each month. Due to the demand on the service, some patients had been discharged before an advisor was able to see them so there was still work to be done.

·       Mental Health inpatients had also been provided with support and this continued once discharged.

·       Pregnant women who smoke were now to ‘opt out’ of referrals. Incentive schemes including vouchers and support were available throughout pregnancy.

·       Pregnant women were offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy initially and vapes secondly.

·       There were increasing concerns around children vaping. Vapes are an effective aid for stopping smoking but the concern was that children who had never smoked were taking up vaping.

·       12% children had tried vaping, but it was more common in older teenagers. 6% of 14–15-year-olds had regularly vaped.

·       Key messages had been taken from the East Midlands statement on vaping.

In response to questions and comments, it was noted that:

·       Data gathered on children smoking and vaping was thought to be robust. It was reflective of the national picture.

·       It was widely accepted that it takes several attempts to successfully quit smoking. The 57% of individuals who had stopped smoking successfully was lower figure, around 20% at 12 months.

·       Work had been ongoing with Trading Standards to address concerns around vapes and cigarettes, however it was acknowledged Trading Standards had limited resources.

·       Training for young people is extensive to test purchase for Trading Standards.

·       If concerns around sales were found, it would be reported to the Licensing Team.

·       The increased availability at 24hour supermarkets was allowing increased sales of cigarettes and vapes.

·       Shisha bars had been open until early hours and was considered a social activity, but was providing prolonged exposure.

·       A price drop that had been noticed on vape products may be in expectation of the ban in June to reduce stock.

·       Work was occurring with University of Leicester students to raise awareness around shisha in different communities and its effects.

·       Workplaces had been identified as targets for smoking cessation resources.

·       Schools had been provided with Public Health profiles following a survey in 2023. Some schools may consider smoking and vaping as a priority but there had been instances where this was considered less concerning than other issues that were affecting student wellbeing which may be less visible to the public.

·       The CURE team had seen nearly 7000 patients since it started in 2020. 40% of these patients had continued into community based smoking cessation services.

·       Turning Point staff had been training primarily on supporting individuals to swap to vapes. This had been trialled with those dependent on alcohol before Covid and had now been extended to those using any substance.

·       The project with Turning Point would be assessed before it was to be rolled out into other services.

·       Step Right Out was due to relaunch and would cover cars, as well as homes. Smoking in cars, particularly around children was to be a big stream in the communications campaign.

·       The average age of those with a mental health condition who had died prematurely was striking. There had not been enough referrals of those patients with mental health conditions into the service and this needed to be made more equitable.

·       Mental Health cafes were suggested as an opportunity to address poor referrals in this community.

·       Making every contact count was to occur in workplaces along with increased training.

·       Smoking outside of hospitals, particularly maternity units was not often seen to be enforced despite policies.

AGREED:

·       Governance Services to contact Trading Standards for a report on work that has occurred on smoking and vaping.

·       The Commission noted the report.