Agenda item

Report of the Director of Public Health

The Committee have agreed that the focus of its review in 2017-18 will be work to address the harms caused by tobacco.

During the course of the review it is proposed that the Committee will consider how tobacco use in Gateshead impacts negatively upon physical and mental wellbeing, its impact upon the local health and social care economy, and its role in perpetrating poverty and inequalities within and between generations.

The review will provide an overview of current activity to reduce harms caused by tobacco in Gateshead compared to best national and/or international practice, where such practice exists.

Currently, about 17.9% of adults in Gateshead smoke, compared to an English average of 16.9%. This is around 29 485 people. Around 12.4% of 15 year olds in Gateshead smoke, around 280 young people. Nearly 500 Gateshead residents every year will die from smoking related diseases.

Activity that reduced harm caused by tobacco can be thought of in terms of four main sets of activities:

·         Stopping people starting smoking

·         Helping people stopping smoking

·         Reducing exposure to second hand smoke

·         Tobacco control (i.e. Enforcement of legislation round the sale of tobacco)

At a population level, making tobacco use the exception rather than the norm (the “denormalisation” of tobacco use) can be seen as central to all of the above

It is proposed that the above is considered in the context of:

·         Higher than average levels of smoking in Gateshead Council

·         The fact that smoking remains the single cause of most preventable illness and death in Gateshead

·         Significant inequalities in the prevalence of smoking between different groups and areas

·         Reducing demand for stop smoking services

·         Particularly low levels of take up of stop smoking services amongst some groups i.e. people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups

·         Pressure of Public Health budgets now and in the future and opportunities for future savings to primary and secondary care costs from prevention activity

The process and timescale for the review was presented to the Committee. It is proposed that the review will take place over an eleven month period from 20 June 2017 to 17 April 2018. It will involve the presentation of expert evidence, research and site visits.

The Committee were advised that the first evidence gathering session will provide a detailed overview of those harms arising in Gateshead due to tobacco use. Information will be presented at the most local levels possible to provide members with insight into inequalities arising from tobacco use across Gateshead, and how tobacco harms impact upon individual wards. Subsequent evidence gathering sessions will include presentations from internal services, external organisations and experts in their respective disciplines.

Evidence will be sought from Gateshead Public Health Team, Development and Public Protection, the Newcastle and Gateshead Clinical Commissioning Group, Gateshead Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Gateshead Advice Centre, Public Health England, Fresh North East, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and leading academies and clinicians.

The Committee requested as part of the review that the effects of second hand smoke be investigated as well as the increased use and effects caused by vaping.