Health trainer team celebrate top performance in country

New NHS figures show that City of York Council’s Health Trainer team are providing the most effective stop smoking service in the country.

The figures, which relate to the period between April and June 2024 , showed 82 per cent of people who set a quit date with the service had successfully stopped smoking four weeks after that date.

This was the highest rate amongst all 119 stop smoking services in the country (who reported figures for that period), and compared with a rate of 57.2 per cent for England and 64.7 per cent for the Yorkshire and Humber region.

The news comes as the service is celebrating the success of the Stoptober launch of its new Swap 2 Stop campaign.

This campaign is aimed at encouraging smokers to make the switch from smoking to vaping to improve their health and has seen even more people come forward for support, with referrals more than doubling.

Glyn Newberry, Health Trainer Team Manager at City of York Council, said: “I would like to congratulate all the ex-smokers who have quit with the support of York Health Trainers and thank the dedicated members of the team for their skill and hard work which mean we have this highly effective stop smoking service.”

Peter Roderick, Director of Public Health at City of York Council, said: “Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer and giving up not only improves your health but can save you thousands of pounds a year.

“The evidence is getting stronger every year that vaping is by far the most effective way to quit and more and more people are choosing e-cigarettes as a way of stopping smoking.”

Kevin Spencer, a self-employed painter and decorator from Rawcliffe, York, gave up smoking after 50 years by switching to vapes, with the support of health trainer Fiona Lambeth.

He said: “Fiona was absolutely fantastic, she was understanding, she knew exactly what was needed, she kept in touch to ask how I was doing – it’s a brilliant service.”

Smokers are addicted to nicotine, not tobacco. It’s the tar and toxic chemicals produced in tobacco smoke that kills, so switching from smoking to vaping is a positive health move.

Our message for non-smokers, including teenagers and children, is still “If you don’t smoke, don’t vape” and we offer a range of support for people, including teenagers, who want to quit vaping.

York residents, who are smokers, aged 18 years and over can now get free personal, confidential support alongside free vapes or nicotine replacement products for 4 weeks, or up to 10 weeks if they join the main smoking behaviour change programme.

By self-referring online or by calling the team, residents can gain access to full smoking support with an appointment with a Health Trainer.

Or alternatively, residents can access the Swap 2 Stop Vape offer, which is a free, four-week vape starter kit that will be posted out to them.

There’s also a whole host of support and advice for people thinking about quitting smoking for good, including step-by-step videos at www.york.gov.uk/swap2stop to help them on their quitting journey. Or for more help, call 01904 553377 today!