Fresh respond to news that tobacco control plan has been dropped
Health leaders in the North East and a cancer survivor have urged the government to clarify its plans to reduce smoking after speculation a new Tobacco Control plan announced in the summer has been dropped.
Earlier this year, Javed Khan OBE published his independent tobacco control review “Making smoking obsolete” and outlined measures to further reduce the burden of smoking on families, the NHS, social care and business. Smoking costs North East society nearly £888 million every year and businesses bear the largest burden with smoking-related lost productivity equating to over £684 million.
Latest evidence shows 2 out of 3 lifelong smokers will die early. Smoking remains the single biggest cause of cancer with over 74,600 deaths in England in total from smoking a year and over 113,000 deaths in the North East since the year 2000.
Part of the review was a recommendation to impose a levy on tobacco companies out of the £900 million profits they make in England every year from addiction to help fund prevention rather than costs falling on the taxpayer.
Measures to reduce smoking are popular in the North East, with 75% of people in the region supporting a target to end smoking by 2030 which would mean fewer than 5% of people smoking. The same proportion would support a requirement for manufacturers to pay a levy to government for measures to help smokers quit and prevent young people from taking up smoking.
Ailsa Rutter OBE, Director of Fresh and Balance, the North East regional alcohol and tobacco control programme, said: “We urgently need clarity now whether it is government policy to tackle our biggest killer or hand a free licence to tobacco companies to peddle addiction for profit.
“Smoking is one of the biggest pressures on the NHS. It is the biggest cause of cancer and it is driving poverty and inequality here in regions like the north-east.
“By ignoring this issue we will add more burden on the NHS and condemn more families and more children to lifelong tobacco addiction which causes death, drains public services and fuels poverty.
“Action on smoking is not only highly popular but is a lifesaving, cross party issue that unites politicians from all sides with strong support from people across the country.”
Amanda Healy, Director of Public Health, County Durham and Chair of Association of Directors of Public Health North East Forum, said: “I speak on behalf of Directors of Public Health in the North East when we say we need action to reduce smoking, especially in regions like the North East where more families suffer.
“Despite efforts of tobacco companies to derail efforts to reduce smoking, there has been massive support for these efforts and we have made good progress to reduce smoking rates with the NHS and local communities working together.
“Smoking remains our biggest killer and is an addiction that starts in childhood. Tobacco is a driver of poverty and has a negative impact on the economy and for our businesses.
“Most smokers would like to stop and many deeply regret starting in the first place. The appalling fact is that millions more will die unless we take action.”
Sue Mountain, 56,from South Tyneside, smoked for much of her life, but in 2012 tests revealed she had laryngeal cancer. A decade later, she’s had the disease three times. She said: “The fact is that smoking has killed nearly 8million people in the UK in the last 50 years. Why do we tolerate this? Why aren’t we doing more to stop people dying?
“Prevention saves the NHS, it helps the economy, and it helps ordinary families with their day to day finances. If money is tight then tobacco companies need to be pay for the damage they do. I could have bought half a house with the money I spent on smoking instead of cancer.
“There are millions of us out there who have been affected by smoking or lost a loved one. I don’t want the next generation such as my grandchildren to even know about cigarettes. I want it to be there norm that smoking is not part of life or society.”
Smoking is still our biggest killer – two out of three long term smokers will die from tobacco. Smoking costs the North East’s NHS £124.9 million in smoking-related healthcare, made up of around 33,355 hospital admissions, 1.2m GP consultations, nearly 695,000 GP prescriptions, 413,000 practice nurse consultations and over 224,700 outpatient visits.
The social care cost to the region’s councils and smokers is £66.9 million with smokers needing social care at a younger age than non-smokers for everyday tasks such as dressing, walking and using the toilet due to smoking.
Meanwhile, £684 million a year is lost in earnings and employment prospects. With smoking causing life-limiting conditions, smokers are not only more likely to die in working age, but more likely to become ill, increasing the likelihood of being out of work and reducing their average wage.