Unmet needs
People living in social housing have smoking rates which are double the national average. In North Tyneside 24.3% of people who rent from local authority or housing association smoke compared to 6.5% who own their home outright. This indicates that stop smoking interventions for those living in social housing is an unmet need. Targets taken from the APPG recommendations for the Tobacco Plan for England 2021 are for smoking in social housing to fall to 16% by 2025 and to reduce the proportion of children with one or both parents who are smokers from one in four (25.2%) in 2018 to 11.8% by 2025.
Whilst NHS-funded tobacco treatment services becoming available as part of specialist mental health services for long-term users of specialist mental health and in learning disability services is included in the NHS Long Term Plan, currently those needs are unmet. A target included in the Long-Term Plan is for smoking in those with a long-term mental health condition to fall from 25.2% in 2021/22 to 15.4% in 2025. However, using Long Term Plan funds, Cumbria, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust have appointed a Specialist Tobacco Dependence Service Lead, to cover 7 Local Authority areas. 3 full time tobacco dependency advisors and 2 part-time will also cover the whole geographical area of the Trust.
Targets have been set in the All-Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health Recommendations for the Tobacco Control Plan 2021 to reduce smoking in pregnancy from 12.7% in 2020 at time of maternity booking to 8.9% by 2025, and to reduce smoking in pregnancy from 8.3% in 2021/22 at time of delivery to 5% or less by 2025. Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have established an internal Tobacco Dependency service which will provide support to pregnant smokers who are patients in the trust.