Smokers lacking support to quit habit

11:31am Tuesday 12th February 2008

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Croydon has had the least success across the whole country in helping people to quit smoking since the ban in licensed premises kicked in last July.

In Britain, the number of people who quit cigarettes around the time of the smoking ban was up by almost a third on the year before, figures released last week showed.

But only 26 per cent of smokers in Croydon have kicked the habit.

In comparison, in Hertfordshire 83 per cent have said they want to stop, while 47 per cent in Sutton and Merton, 42 per cent in Bromley and 32 per cent in Lambeth are trying to quit.

The figures were released by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care and are based on the numbers of people who received enough support to successfully quit after four weeks of trying.

Croydon Primary Care Trust (CPCT) defended the poor figures. It has doubled its budget from £500,000 to £1million for smoking cessation services for the coming year.

In addition the PCT will be increasing staff numbers from four to eight, bringing it in line with the best services in London.

Dr Tim Crayford, director of public health for Croydon, said: "More recently, the number of people coming forward for advice and support to quit has not kept pace and the stop smoking team has found it harder to maintain its previous success.

"We are working with our local advisers in GP surgeries and pharmacies across the borough to help more people quit. And thirdly, we have already recruited staff to work with groups such as pregnant women and young people via Croydon's healthy schools team."

Nationally, a total of 164,711 stubbed out their habit between April and September 2007, which is the period spanning the new anti-smoking legislation which took effect on July 1.

The figure was up 28 per cent on the same six months in 2006.