Top health boss warns smoking is back on the rise

Tobacco is still a major disease burden and cause of death in Blackburn with Darwen

The number of adult smokers in Blackburn with Darwen is on the rise, health chiefs warn.

The borough's public health director, Abdul Razaq, has recommended the authority adds a new Community Stop Smoking Service to its existing pharmacy-led model of stop smoking support.

The new programme would cost nearly £290k on top of the current £159.4k for the pharmacy-led service.

The extra cost will be paid for by government grants.

In his report, Mr Razaq says: "Tobacco is still the biggest cause of health inequalities and a major disease burden and cause of death in Blackburn with Darwen.

"Smoking is linked to almost every indicator of disadvantage and there is a clear gradient, the more disadvantaged you are the more likely you are to smoke."

According to the report, the cost to the borough of dealing with smoking was a "staggering" 187.2m.

The report adds: "Data drawn from the Local Tobacco Control Profiles notes that smoking prevalence in Blackburn with Darwen rose to 19.4% in 2022 from 15.5% in 2021, the highest level since 2016 (19.5%)."

But the report adds that the success rate for people quitting smoking in Blackburn with Darwen is higher than the national average.

The awarding of the contract for the new service will be taken by Mr Razaq and the council’s public health boss Cllr Damian Talbot, in consultation with the NHS.

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