City to stub out tobacco smuggling

From next year, health bosses will not only be judged on numbers of people who claim to have given up, but also on the "prevalence" of the habit in adults.

In Sheffield, it is thought that around 23.3 per cent of the adult population smokes, a figure which public health workers want to see reduced by almost half.

The 23.3 per cent smoking figure for the city equates to an estimated 106,000 people, a statistic described by doctors as a "key health priority".

NHS Sheffield, the primary care trust (PCT) responsible for health services, said its vision was to reduce levels of smoking to 15 per cent by 2015.

In a report to be considered by the trust's board on Tuesday, Sheffield's director of public health Jeremy Wight has claimed other public bodies including councils and customs must be involved.

He added: "Achieving this ambitious target requires a comprehensive tobacco control strategy including not only clinical interventions but also economic, legislative and environmental action.

"Targets for tobacco control have historically been measured by the number of four-week quitters accessing the Sheffield Stop Smoking Service.

"However, from 2011, PCTs will also be measured on the prevalence of smoking in addition to four-week quits. PCTs need to re-design and re-focus tobacco control programmes to reduce smoking prevalence."

Dr Wight claimed in his report that smoking is Sheffield's single greatest cause of health inequalities, preventable illness and early death and costs the NHS 5bn a year.

No extra money will be made available for extra services, and it is thought that resources will instead be focussed on what have been identified as particular problem issues.

One of these is the supply of so called "cheap and illicit" tobacco products which are smuggled into the country and are mainly counterfeit versions of well-known brands.

In his report, Dr Wight said: "Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs estimate that approximately half of all tobacco sold locally is illegal.

"Illicit tobacco is currently available in our communities for less then half the price of their duty paid equivalent – 2.50 a pack compared with 5.80 for a pack of premium brand cigarettes.

"Market activity in this illicit trade purposefully targets the most vulnerable smokers – young people and those on low incomes in areas of deprivation who already experience significant health inequalities as a result of smoking."

Under the new drive, health chiefs plan to work with HMRC and the police to stop the sale of illicit tobacco, particularly in workplaces, and identify the routes used to push fake cigarettes onto the street.

A tobacco control enforcement officer will also be employed on a partnership basis between the PCT and the city council to oversee the work associated with cutting illicit tobacco supply.

Young smokers will be the second target in the new anti-smoking push, after a study revealed that around 12 per cent, or 720, of the city's sixth-form pupils smoke regularly.

A "responsible retailer" scheme, which aims to ensure that all shopkeepers only sell tobacco to over-18s, will be extended and a national charity called Quit will offer training to teachers to deliver the anti-smoking message in class.

Dr Wight claimed the support is vital, and added: "Studies have shown that young people who smoke repeatedly attempt to quit and around 70 per cent of young smokers express a desire to stop shortly after taking up the habit."