Stop Smoking Way

STOKE-ON-TRENT’S top health official has drafted city councillors into the war on smoking in the Potteries.

Between three and six of them are to form a trouble-shooting group to search for better ways of encouraging people to quit.

They hope to find out why there is some who resist all attempts to give-up no matter how many services are made available to help them. Despite gradual reductions over the years the number of people smoking is still nearly 30 per cent in Stoke-on-Trent, compared to the national average in the low 20s.

The team will also research why so many people fail to kick the habit permanently after going on NHS quitting programmes.

The invitation to council health scrutiny commission chairman Alby Walker to create a smoking “task and finish” group came from primary care trust chief executive Graham Urwin.

It will be formed early in the New Year ahead of months of work gathering evidence ready to submit a final report back to the PCT.

Mr Walker said: “With smoking the biggest avoidable cause of death in the city, I have always believed we have a responsibility not to just sit back and accept our higher-than-average smoking rates as a given.

“The health professionals do a good job but they often live outside the city and they don’t have their ears to the ground like ward councillors do. Mr Urwin deserves credit for recognising that.”

A confirmed non-smoker, Mr Walker has already publicly urged his 59 fellow councillors to lead by example by quitting – or at least not to light up in designated smoking areas outside civic buildings.

He added: “We will be talking to people in pubs, factories, offices, sports clubs and general social gatherings to gather evidence as widely as possible on how the smoking cessation services can more effectively engage the population.”

He revealed he already had some ideas on how to target smokers.

Mr Walker said: “For example, now the ban has pushed smokers into shelters outside buildings, it is obvious who they are, so why not make an informal approach to them to offer help? They have developed almost a pack mentality which you could take on – although I would not advise sending two female smoking cessation officers into these environments.

“If they are interested in quitting, we should make sure the help is convenient for them so they don’t have programmes miles from home or at difficult times of the day.”

City public health director Dr Giri Rajaratnam said: “We need to double the number of people taking advantage of the various initiatives we run in the city.

“As a result, NHS Stoke has asked the scrutiny committee to take an independent look at the range of initiatives we manage, as well as understand the needs of the people of Stoke, in order to help and encourage more to quit.”

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Tags: Stop Smoking