News

More people quit smoking thanks to NHS

August 31, 2010

The number of people successfully stubbing out the habit with a local stop smoking service is above the national average.

NHS Berkshire West has exceeded its targets for its stop smoking service by 14 per cent this year, helping 2,474 people to stop smoking.

Figures show 60 per cent of people who committed to give up smoking succeeded, while nationally the figure was 49 per cent.

Iwona Rodriguez, stop smoking co-ordinator said: “We’re delighted that our Stop Smoking Service at NHS Berkshire West has been so successful.

“We have a number of initiatives to help people throughout the area and our drop-in clinic (known as the POD) at the Broad Street Mall in

Reading was recently cited in a national report on tobacco control as an example of good practice.”

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Iwona - all very well, but what's the quit rate at 12 months? And how much are we paying you to waste our money...?

dbb
01/09/2010 at 21:00

I just cannot understand why taxpayers money is wasted on 'quit' programmes, when IF they worked the Government would lose duty and tax because there would be a decrease in demand for cigarettes.

chas winfield
01/09/2010 at 16:50

Another lot of stats than mean nothing, i can understand the anti smoking lobby trying to safeguard their taxpayer funding but the truth is that since prohibition was forced onto the country smoking rates are Up and it is time for the anti smoking quangos to go.It is time for the smoking ban to be reformed to allow All people choice,smoker and non smoker alike.

tug, nottingham
01/09/2010 at 16:33

Ah the same old fallacy, NHS definition of quitting is 4 weeks, they do not take account of those who quit, start, quit again etc all in the same period. NHS real smoking cessation rates are less than 10%. With a 98% failure rate using smoking cessation products.

This failure costs the NHS £350/person in direct costs and £2000 in indirect costs (ie tax revenue).