Additional help and support for pregnant women as well as people with mental health needs stop smoking has been launched by Ealing Community Partners.
The service, commissioned by the Public Health Team at Ealing Council, is aimed at specific groups, including individuals with mental health problems and pregnant women, in order to address the high prevalence of smoking and its detrimental impact on life expectancy.
According to health experts, smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Ealing. Across the UK around 79,000 deaths are attributed to smoking each week.
An initiative called Smoke Free Generation and supported by local government and healthcare authorities aims to deliver its vision by 2030.
The release of Ealing health data for 2021/2022 which comes from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows the need to tackle urgently certain demographics. In its findings, smoking in Ealing is very high. Among the groups who are smokers are: 27.4% of adults with long-term health conditions and 75.4% of people admitted for substance misuse treatment while 10.3% of the general population identified as smokers.
Councillor Josh Blacker, Cabinet Member for Healthy Lives at Ealing Council said: “We’re dedicated to addressing health disparities throughout the borough. Introducing a service that directly alleviates these inequalities is truly fantastic, particularly for the groups in desperate need of support.”
Dr Claire Dillon, director of Integrated Community Health Services (Ealing Community Partners) said: “We are delighted to be launching this much-needed service. We look forward to working with our expert team to reduce or eliminate smoking among the targeted groups and to support people to lead happier and healthier lives.”
In order to access the service, people need to be 18 and over, reside in the borough and be registered with an Ealing GP practice.
Over a period of 12 weekly appointments, people will get behavioural support to assist in quitting smoking or reducing tobacco consumption. The first session is 45 minutes long while the remaining 11 are 30 minutes.
People can self-refer or go through their doctor. To self-refer click here.
