Yorkshire Smokefree services outperform regional and national averages in referral and quit attempt rates
Yorkshire Smokefree (YSF) provides local stop smoking services, working across the Yorkshire & Humber region, to reduce smoking prevalence and support people to quit. YSF has announced that all five of its local smoking cessation services in Barnsley, Calderdale, Doncaster, Wakefield, and Sheffield, have exceeded both England and Yorkshire and Humber averages for referral rates per 100,000 smokers (according to new analysis using the latest available Office for National Statistics (ONS) smoking prevalence data).
Four of the five services also rank highest in the region for quit attempt rates per 100,000 smokers, underscoring YSF’s strong impact in helping people stop smoking.
YSF offers free, confidential help for anyone ready to stop smoking. The service connects people with trained stop smoking advisors who provide personalised plans, product guidance and ongoing support. Thousands of people have already used YSF services to go smokefree; the expanded offering is designed to reach even more smokers, particularly those in areas with the highest smoking rates and the greatest barriers to accessing care.
The results show a clear pattern of higher engagement and activity than both regional and national benchmarks. Every service recorded referral rates above the England and Yorkshire & Humber averages, demonstrating strong outreach and successful pathways into cessation support. In addition, four YSF services led the region in quit attempt rates per 100,000 smokers — an outcome that reflects both effective service delivery and motivated local populations.
Jan Spence, health and wellbeing community manager at Yorkshire Smokefree, said: “We are proud that our teams continue to reach more smokers and support successful quit attempts. These results reflect sustained work with local partners, tailored support for different communities, and a commitment to making evidence-based help accessible. We will use these findings to sharpen our outreach where needed and keep improving outcomes for people trying to quit.”
The findings reinforce the value of local, coordinated stop-smoking services that combine outreach, referral pathways and tailored interventions. By benchmarking against ONS derived per 100,000 smokers’ rates, YSF can better target resources and share best practice across the region to further increase quit attempts and successful outcomes.
