Website of the Department of Health

1.The Quarterly Report, 'Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April to December 2003' will  be available as soon as practical after 9.30am on 7 May 2004 from the Department of Health's web site by clicking on the link above.

2. The White Paper, 'Smoking Kills', was published in December 1998 outlining the Government's policies on smoking.  This contained three key targets: young people's smoking; adult smoking; and pregnant women.  The establishment of Stop Smoking  Services (formerly known as Smoking Cessation Services) in the NHS is an important element of the Government's strategy for tackling smoking in recognition that many smokers want to stop, but find it hard to do so. This policy has been more recently restated in the NHS Plan and the NHS Cancer Plan.

3. NHS Stop Smoking Services were launched in the Health Action Zones in 1999/00, with services rolled out across the NHS in 2000/01. In the 4 years up to and including 2002/03, £70m was made available for these services, plus £6m to develop services to help pregnant smokers. Some £138m has been made available to the Services over the three years 2003/04 to 2005/06  (£41m/£46m/£51m). Details can be found in Health Service Circular 2002/12 by clicking on the link above.

4. In 2002/03, a target was set for the services to deliver 100,000 successful quitters at the 4 week follow up (based on self-report). A target for the three years 2003/4 to 2005/06 of 800,000 successful quitters at the 4 week follow up (based on self report) has been announced in the document Priorities and Planning Framework 2003-2006 which is  available by clicking on the link above.

6.  Final figures for 2002/03 were published as a Statistical Bulletin on 12 November 2003; this Statistical Bulletin 'Statistics on smoking cessation services in England, April 2002 to March 2003'.  Also a quarterly report presenting provisional results for April to September 2003 was published on 12 February 2004, both publications are available by clicking on the links above.

7. A Statistical Bulletin presenting information from a variety of sources on smoking titled 'Statistics on smoking: England, 2003' was published on 12 November 2003.  Copies of this bulletin are available from: Department of Health, PO Box 777, London SEI 6XH, Tel: 0871 555 455 and Fax: 01623 724 524. It is also available on the Department of Health web site: http://www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0321.htm

8. The telephone number for the NHS smoking helpline is 0800 169 0 169. The telephone number for the NHS pregnancy smoking helpline is 0800 169 9 169.