COUNCILLORS have been given an update of the development of a programme to tackle smoking addiction and a campaign to highlight the dangers of using vapes.

Members of Cumberland Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee met on Thursday (November 7) at the Civic Centre in Carlisle.

They considered a report – Tackling smoking addictions through: delivery of a tobacco dependence improvement programme and a campaign to highlight the dangers of general vape usage.

According to the report the update relates to the council’s progress towards achieving ‘Smokefree 2030’.

Georgina Ternant, the council’s public health manager,  said they were doing “okay” with quit rates, which currently stands at 53.38 per cent, and the council had received just under £400,000 in funding from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

She added: “[Quitting] is not the easiest thing to do.”

However, she said that the use of vapes was increasing and added: “We know that smoking rates have fallen but vaping rates have risen.”

But she said that vaping was a better option than smoking, and it was advised that smokers should switch to a vape, but people should not start vaping if they did not smoke.

Ms Ternant said that people now realised that tobacco dependence was a serious addiction rather than a lifestyle choice and Kathryn Lewis, the council’s new smoke free programme lead, agreed that it was an “entrenched habit”.

Councillor John Mallinson (Houghton and Irthington, Conservative), who was himself a reformed heavy smoker who had managed to quit the habit, said vaping had been billed as a safe alternative to smoking and he had thought about trying one.

However, he said he actually managed to kick the habit during a hospital stay when he had bronchitis, where he was prevented from smoking, and he managed to continue being smokefree after he was discharged.

He said that smoking was a “behavioural thing” and added: “One of the things was something to do with your hands.”

Cllr Mallinson suggested that those who were considering giving up the habit could be issued with items such as “Rubik’s Cubes” to keep them occupied and added: “It’s habitual as much as a nicotine hit.”

Ms Lewis, who started in post in September and had previously worked in Durham for 19 years, said it could take as many as 30 attempts to successfully kick the habit and added: “We used to give out fidget spinners in Durham.”

Cllr Mallinson said potential weight gain should also be considered. He said: “Mars Bars are a good substitute.”

Councillor Andrew Semple (Cockermouth South, Labour) asked what the health concerns over vaping were and Colin Cox, the council’s director of public health and communities, said it was early days as they only had 10 years of data but added: “It’s the lesser of two evils.”

Committee chairwoman councillor Gillian Troughton (Howgate, Labour) said she was concerned about the nicotine intake with vapes which she felt was more than with smoking.

Cllr Mallinson wondered if people could be offered cash incentives and Ms Ternant said: “It’s something that we’ve thought about.”

According to the council report, smoking remains the biggest cause of ill-health and death in the UK and it increases the risk of developing serious health conditions and is a major contributing factor to health inequalities.

It adds: “In April 2023 Cumberland Council’s executive agreed the council’s strategic approach to Achieving Smoke Free 2030 following recommendations in the 2022 independent report The Khan Review: making smoking obsolete. Smoke Free status is defined as having a population smoking prevalence of five percent or less.

“At the time the approach was agreed 11.1 percent of the adult population (approximately 30,000 residents) of Cumberland were current smokers with smoking at time of delivery (SATOD) maternity data showing that approximately 10 percent of mothers are a smoker when they have a baby.

“This therefore meant that in order to achieve a Smoke Free Cumberland, there needed to be approximately 15,000 quits with no one starting smoking.”

The council has agreed to use recurrent funding of around £220,000 allocated from the annual Public Heath grant to:

  • Commission an improved universal community pharmacy service providing 12 weeks’ Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and motivational support to smokers wishing to quit. The report states: “This model of opportunistic, self-referral service meets NICE guidance and is delivered by staff National Centre for Smoking Cessation Training (NCSCT) Public Health England trained and accredited;
  • Deliver a new specialist stop smoking team – community outreach and pharmacy in reach posts to provide enhanced support to people within priority groups and on specific NHS pathways.