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Statistics on smoking cessation services in England, April to June 2003

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007
  • Series number:
    HSC 2002/012

This quarterly report presents provisional results from the monitoring of the smoking cessation services (now called NHS stop smoking services).

Of those clients who set a quit date during the period April to June 2003, 33,900 had successfully quit at the 4 week follow up; this compares with 30,700 in the same period in 2002 (an increase of 10%).

The key results show that, in England, during the period April to June 2003:

  • Around 64,700 people set a quit date through NHS Stop Smoking Services.
  • At the 4 week follow-up around 33,900 had successfully quit (based on self-report), 52% of those setting a quit date.
  • Success at the four week follow up increased with age, from 33% of those aged under 18, to 63% of those aged 60 and over.
  • The majority of people received Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). Around three quarters (78%) of people received NRT only, 9% received bupropion only, and 1% received both NRT and bupropion.
  • The expenditure on NHS Stop Smoking Services, which does not include the cost of NRT or bupropion on prescription, was £6.4 million.

Some tables giving more details of these results are attached.

Produced by the Government Statistical Service

Notes to editors

1. Press enquiries should be directed to: the Department of Health Media Centre, tel: 020 7210 5707/5287.

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 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 (smoking cessation services) were launched in the Health Action Zones in 1999/00, with services rolled out across the NHS in 2000/01. In the three years up to and including 2001/02, £53m was made available for these services with a further substantial amount for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and bupropion (Zyban) on NHS prescription. A further £20m was made available for the Stop Smoking Services in 2002/03. 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 available on the Department of Health web site (see the link below: "HSC 2002/012 - Primary care trusts revenue resource limits 2003/04, 2004/05 & 2005/06").

4. For 2002/03, a target was set for the services of 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 available on the web site below: "Improvement, expansion and reform: The next three years' priorities and planning framework, 2003-2006"

5. Information on the number of people setting a quit date, and the number who successfully quit at the 4 week follow-up (self report), for each Strategic Health Authority, is included at table 5b and for each Primary Care Trust at table 7.

6. Final figures for 2002/03 are published as a Statistical Bulletin; this Statistical Bulletin 'Statistics on smoking cessation services in England, April 2002 to March 2003' is available below.

A statistical press release presenting provisional results for April 2002 to March 2003 was published on 24 July 2003.

7. A Statistical Bulletin presenting information from a variety of sources on smoking titled 'Statistics on smoking: England, 2003' is available below.

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.

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