Hounslow Council is encouraging smokers aged 12 and above to quit smoking for good in 2025 with support from a free stop smoking service.
Healthy Hounslow offers the borough’s residents personalised one-to-one behavioral support through its expert advisers, and provides tools and guidance to help residents quit smoking, either face-to-face or over the phone.
The council’s dedicated stop-smoking page on the Healthy Hounslow website offers a variety of resources, from quitting tips to pharmacy support, and visitors can also fill out an online assessment form or call the team directly to access services.
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health, and Integration, Councillor Lily Bath, said: “We’re aware that Hounslow has a higher-than-average number of smokers, so it’s vital that we offer free support for people who want to quit.
“Doing so will not only save lives, but it will also take pressure off our local NHS services, which treat thousands of people with smoking-related illnesses.”
Efforts to reduce smoking are especially important in Hounslow, where 13.4% of adults currently smoke.
This is higher than the London average of 11.7% and the national average of 11.6%.
Residents who sign up can access nicotine replacement therapy or a free vape kit, with kits available to those aged 18 and over.
Hounslow Contract Manager at Healthy Hounslow’s contract manager Ryan D’Cruz, explained the progress made already has seen over 500 people helped to quit smoking.
D’Cruz said: “We launched this campaign in collaboration with the London Borough of Hounslow Council to showcase the life-changing impact of our stop smoking service.
“Our goal is to reach as many people as possible, showing them that with the right support and guidance, quitting smoking is achievable.
“By raising awareness and sharing success stories, we hope to empower our community to live healthier, smoke-free lives.”
According to Public Health England, smokers who use NHS Stop Smoking Services are up to three times more likely to quit successfully compared to those who attempt to quit unaided.
178,198 people accessed NHS Stop Smoking Services and set a quit date. Of these, 97,654 self-reported as quitters, resulting in a self-reported quit rate of 55% in 2021 and 2022.
Another study published in 2020 found that the success rate of quit attempts in England increased from 14% in 2019 to 23% in 2020, the highest since at least 2007.
For more information about Healthy Hounslow’s stop-smoking service, visit healthyhounslow.co.uk/stop-smoking/.
Picture credit: Free to use from Healthy Hounslow
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