Anti-smoking pledge signed to tackle Wakefield's £95 million health problem

Health organisations in Wakefield have signed a new tobacco control declaration after figures showed the habits costs the district £95 million a year.
Health organisations in Wakefield havesigned a new tobacco control declaration after figures showed the habits costs the district 95 million a year.Health organisations in Wakefield havesigned a new tobacco control declaration after figures showed the habits costs the district 95 million a year.
Health organisations in Wakefield havesigned a new tobacco control declaration after figures showed the habits costs the district 95 million a year.

The declaration was signed at the Town Hall following a meeting of Wakefield’s Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Board – where partners prioritise helping people live longer, with less

inequality.

Signatories have agreed to: create environments that support quitting through implementing smokefree policies, support a local tobacco control plan to address the causes and impacts

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of tobacco, and protect tobacco control work from the commercial interests of the tobacco industry.

Smoking related disease remains the single greatest cause of preventable death and disease in England – killing more than 80,000 people every year.

About half of all lifelong smokers will die prematurely, losing on average about 10 years of life.

In Wakefield, smoking is responsible for around a third of deaths while 4,700 annual hospital admissions are attributable to smoking.

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The Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) ready reckoner tool estimates that smoking costs society in Wakefield around £95.1 million a year

Adam Sheppard, clinical chairman of Wakefield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “Smoking is the single biggest cause of premature death and disease in our communities

and tackling it is the single most important way we can reduce health inequalities in Wakefield.

“Working together, across all our partners in the district, with a single vision for a smokefree Wakefield is the best way of doing this and this is why we are delighted to be committed to this declaration.”

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Coun Faith Heptinstall, chairwoman of the Health and Wellbeing Board and Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, added: “We all know the damage that smoking can do, not only to individuals but to society, and that’s why we have committed to this declaration.

“We want people across our district to live long and healthy lives and we will do everything we can to support people to quit smoking and prevent them from taking up the habit in the

first place.”

Organisations that sit on Wakefield’s HWB Board include NHS Wakefield CCG, Wakefield Council, Spectrum Community Health CIC, NHS England, The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust, West Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Wakefield District Housing and Healthwatch Wakefield.