Less help to quit: what ’s happening to stop smoking prescriptions across Britain

This report highlights a 75 per cent decline in stop smoking aids being prescribed by GPs and pharmacists across Great Britain. It finds that: in England there was a 75 per cent decline in the number of stop smoking aids dispensed in 2016- 17 compared with 2005-6; Scotland saw a 40 per cent drop in stop smoking aids prescribed, while in Wales, the number of all stop smoking products dispensed in 2016-17 fell to just a third of what was dispensed in 2007-08; and regional variation of clinical commissioning group prescribing levels is huge. There are many areas where prescriptions are extremely low, even in areas with high numbers of smokers. The report argues that this is a deeply concerning trend because the most effective treatment for tobacco dependency - medication alongside behavioural support – is now increasingly hard for smokers to access.ReportPress release 
Source: Health Management Specialist Library - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Commissioning Local authorities, public health and health inequalities Source Type: blogs