One million British smokers will be encouraged to swap cigarettes for vapes under a pioneering new ‘swap to stop’ scheme designed to cut smoking rates across the UK.
Almost 1 in 5 of all smokers in England will be provided with a vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit the habit as part of a series of new measures to help the government meet its ambition of being smokefree by 2030 – reducing smoking rates to 5% or less.
In stark contrast to Australia’s approach, the NHS’s position is that nicotine vaping is “substantially less harmful than smoking” and “one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking.”
Smoking prevalence in England in 2021 was 13%, the lowest on record thanks to measures such as doubling duty on cigarettes since 2010 and continued funding to local stop smoking services, which saw almost 100,000 people quit.
Following the success of these local initiatives, especially in targeting smoking among pregnant women, local authorities will be invited to design a tailored scheme which suits that community’s needs, including deciding which populations to prioritise.
All pregnant women who smoke will also be offered financial incentives to help them stop smoking, including vouchers, and behavioural support by the end of next year.
During the announcement on 11 April 2023, UK Health Minister, Mr Neil O’Brien, noted that £68 million of public health grant funding was already spent on stop smoking services by local authorities in 2021 – 22, and pointed out the value of the new scheme was in the number of lives it would save.
“Up to 2 out of 3 lifelong smokers will die from smoking. Cigarettes are the only product on sale which will kill you if used correctly,” Mr O’Brien said.
“We will offer a million smokers new help to quit. We will be funding a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – the first of its kind in the world. We will work with councils and others to offer a million smokers across England a free vaping starter kit.”
The UK Government will also consult on introducing mandatory cigarette pack inserts with positive messages and information to help people to quit smoking and noted that for those who quit, the risk of heart attack is halved after one year of quitting.
“Cutting smoking rates reduces the number of smoking-related illnesses needing to be treated, in turn reducing the pressure on the NHS, helping to deliver on our priority to cut NHS waiting lists,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Supporting more women to have a smokefree pregnancy will reduce the number of babies born underweight or underdeveloped with health problems requiring neonatal and ongoing care. It will also reduce the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.”
The UK government also announced that there will be a crackdown on illicit vape sales as part of measures to stop children and non-smokers take up the habit – which is growing in popularity among young people.
NHS figures for 2021 showed that 9% of 11- to 15-year-old children used e-cigarettes, up from 6% in 2018, and in recognition of the sharp increase, there was a call for further research to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products.
Nearly £3 million of new funding will also be provided to create a specialised ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.