Creating a smoke free generation in Barnsley

New figures show that the work of Yorkshire Smokefree has contributed to the biggest drop in smoking across the borough in recent years. The service is run by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and paid for by Barnsley Council.

Public Health England’s most recent data shows that the number of adults smoking fell from 20.6% in 2016 to 18.2% in 2017. This is the biggest drop in South Yorkshire during the same period of time. Across England, there was a 0.6% reduction between 2016 and 2017, whereas Barnsley’s was 2.4%.

Simon Lister, service manager, said: “We have historically higher than average levels of smoking in Barnsley, but we’re reducing the gap.”

In the past year Yorkshire Smokefree has been re-commissioned to run stop smoking services by Barnsley Council. Smokefree staff have worked hard to reach key communities, moving the stop smoking shop into Barnsley’s redeveloped markets to be more accessible to local people.

The team target particular groups of smokers, the biggest being routine and manual workers. This group has seen the greatest number of quitters following an innovative campaign, working with Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce to engage directly with business leaders and selling the benefits of allowing smoking cessation advisors into work places.

Simon Lister said: “The number of routine and manual workers smoking in Barnsley has fell a whopping 6.3% between 2016 and 2017, down to 27.5%. That’s below the Yorkshire and Humber average and just 2% above the England average.”

There are lots of ways to give up smoking and there is help to find a way tailored to each individual’s specific needs.  Some clients may get free nicotine replacement therapy or Champix depending on eligibility. For more information people should call Yorkshire Smokefree for advice and tips on quitting smoking: 0800 612 0011 (free from landlines) or 0330 660 1166 (free from mobiles) or visit the website yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk