Plans are being drawn up to expand a popular service which has helped over 11,000 people to quit smoking, thanks to extra Government funding.
Quit Ready, run by Leicestershire County Council, offers a free and confidential 12-week programme to help residents become, and stay, smoke free.
With smoking remaining the UK’s biggest preventable killer, the Government is planning to give the council £660,000 more – doubling its budget - to ramp up support, target key groups and focus on vaping in young people.
Councillor Louise Richardson, cabinet member for health, said: “The latest figures are good news and show that just one in 10 Leicestershire residents smoke.
“This is the lowest rate in the East Midlands. But smoking is still a huge factor in preventable illnesses and death, with pregnant women and children and young people more likely to smoke or vape.
“By recruiting more advisors and specialist support, we can step up this important work and we welcome the Government earmarking this extra money.”
Smokers are shown to be three times more likely to stop if they have support from an advisor. Each Quit Ready advisor supports around 400 residents each year, resulting in over 3,000 people successfully quitting smoking in the last year alone.
There are currently more than 53,000 smokers in Leicestershire.
Across the UK, smoking causes one in four cancer deaths and leads to 64,000 deaths per year in England. On top of extra cost for health services, smoking is estimated to cost the economy £17billion a year, through smoking related lost earnings, unemployment, early deaths, and costs to services.
Research shows that over half of smokers die of a smoking related illness and that the vast majority of smokers wish they’d never started in the first place.
The Government grant is expected by next April.
To get in touch with Quit Ready Leicestershire, call 0345 646 66 66, text ‘ready’ to 66777 or go to the Quit Ready website.