Cabinet to look at smoking service cuts

Planned cuts to a service which helps people stop smoking will be looked at by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet.

The county already has an above average number of expectant mothers who are addicted to smoking, while illnesses related to the habit cost £8.26m a year to treat.

The Cabinet heard that the council area has worse smoking rates than neighbouring Dudley, Staffordshire, Birmingham and Warwickshire.

But a service that helps smokers quit could see its budget slashed or taken away altogether. Due to financial pressures, the council is looking at a £4 million public health spending reduction.

This means the Help2Change prevention service could be at risk.

This includes the Help2Quit stop smoking service which costs £232,540 a year to run, but has an above-the-national-average success rate of 46 per cent.

Councillor Karen Calder asked for the Cabinet’s support in looking at protecting the service.

She said: “There are 39,000 smokers in Shropshire which is a higher proportion than many neighbouring areas and we are fifth worst in the region for smoking in pregnancy.

“We are hoping the Cabinet will look at this and bear it in mind before carrying out he cuts.”

Councillor Lee Chapman, portfolio holder for Adult Services, Health and Social Housing, told the meeting that he would do all he could to help.

He added: “I am assured we are doing all we can to manage the public health budget and thank you for your report.

“I will look at the opportunity to deliver that support.”

Previously, Dr Kevin Lewis, director of Help2Change, had said: “The service has treated 2,836 clients in 2017/18, achieving a 46 per cent quit rate against the national target of 35 per cent.

“There are 39,000 smokers recorded on GP registers in Shropshire and smokers using Help2Quit are four times more likely to be successful than if they try to quit alone.”

Dr Lewis said every pregnant smoker in the county is automatically referred to the scheme.

“We have a higher than average rate of smoking mums-to-to-be,” he said.

“Smoking in pregnancy is the largest risk factor for poor birth outcomes, including stillbirth and learning difficulties.

“If H2Q stopped, there is an increased risk of poor birth outcomes with life-long impacts on health.”