City health leaders sign support for tobacco control

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Community Health

Health leaders from Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust (LCH) and Liverpool City Council have jointly signed the NHS Statement of Support for Tobacco Control as part of World No Tobacco Day which took place on Sunday May 31.

The decision to sign the statement provides a public commitment from both organisations to working towards further reducing smoking prevalence across the city, and protecting local communities from the harm caused by smoking and second-hand smoke.

Local health leaders who gathered to sign the Statement of Support for Tobacco Control included Sandra Davies, Interim Director of Public Health at Liverpool City Council, and Gary Andrews, Deputy Chief Executive for Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust.

In England alone, more than 80,000 people die from smoking related diseases annually, which is still more than the next six causes of premature death put together including, obesity, alcohol and illegal drugs.

Liverpool has one of the highest numbers of smoking related related deaths of anywhere in the country, including lung cancer death and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in England (Public Health England, 2013).

Smoking also costs the NHS in Liverpool approximately £29.5 million (ASH, 2013) and kills around 1,000 people each year (Grey, 2012).

Gary Andrews, Deputy Chief Executive for Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust, commented: “Smoking is still the single biggest cause of premature death and preventable illness amongst our local communities, with as many as one in two smokers dying early from a smoking related illness.

"By jointly signing this agreement, we want to demonstrate our continued commitment to working towards a smokefree city by supporting smokefree legislation and tobacco control work, in order to protect our staff, patients and local communities from the devastating effects of smoking.”

The statement is also being championed by a range of leading national health figures and organisations, including the Public Health Minister, Public Health England, NHS England, Association of Directors of Public Health, UK Faculty of Public Health, Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of GPs, and the Care Quality Commission.