York stop smoking service to expand with government funding

Action on Smoking and Health warned the habit was costing York £109m a year

City of York Council has been awarded nearly £200,000 of government funding to help residents quit smoking.

The cash will help expand its quitting service to help people over the next five years, as figures showed the habit was costing the city £109m a year.

The Health Trainers team offers advice and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or e-cigarettes to people wanting to kick the habit.

Councillor Jo Coles said the funding was "really welcome news" for York.

Ms Coles, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult social care, said: "Our Health Trainers already do an amazing job to support people across York to make positive changes such as stopping smoking.

"The city's free Health Trainers service provides support face to face and with the cost of nicotine replacement and anyone who wants to quit smoking, or help with other issues such as weight loss or increasing their levels of physical activity should contact them."

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Peter Roderick, director of public health at the council, praised the funding as he noted that "smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK".He said: "As soon as 48 hours after quitting smoking, your sense of taste and smell is already improving, then within two weeks, blood pumps better through your heart, and after three months, coughing, wheezing or breathing problems will improve as your lung function increases by up to 10%."

The council said its Health Trainers team had a 74% success rate of people not smoking four weeks after their "quit date".

The £195,000 in funding was announced as figures from public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) showed smoking was costing York £109m a year.

This includes a £66.1m impact on local productivity, as smoking "undermines the health of people during working age with some dying before they reach retirement".

Ash also highlighted £37.7m in social care costs, including the cost of unmet care needs and informal carers, and general healthcare costs totalling £4.65m.