Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in England. In 2016 alone, there were estimated to be 77,900 deaths attributable to smoking, representing 16% of all deaths across the UK. In Wiltshire it is estimated that there were 646 early deaths due to smoking.

Our smoking prevalence rates have continued to decline year on year and are now at a record low with 14.9% of people aged 18 years and above being smokers. However, inequalities persist and there are still groups where smoking rates remain stubbornly high, such as among people in manual occupations and individuals who suffer with a serious mental illness. Anecdotal evidence suggests smoking prevalence may have increased in the last year we cannot therefore be complacent about the need for tobacco control and smoking cessation support.

In England, around 60% of smokers want to quit, 10% of which intend to do so within 3 months. Currently, around half of all smokers in England try to quit unaided using willpower alone, despite this being the least effective method. Getting support can greatly increase a person’s chances of quitting successfully.

There is a widespread misconception amongst smokers and health professionals that most of the harm of smoking comes from nicotine. This is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face as it leads to both nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and e-cigarettes being perceived as harmful and as a result, smokers may not make a quit attempt using one of these routes. Wider tobacco control measures help to reduce the availability of tobacco which promotes non smoking as the norm.