In the UK, 207,000 children start smoking every year - SMOKING: The true cost to public health
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In the UK,
207,000
children start
smoking
every year
...and addiction to tobacco costs a typical local
authority as much as £90million a year...
SMOKING:
The true cost
to public health
A tobacco battle and
a public health war
In a challenging economic climate, Tobacco Free But this is about more than getting people to quit
Futures understands that those who control the smoking. This is about tackling tobacco. This about
delivery of public health services face difficult preventing over 100,000 smoking-related deaths in
decisions about where best to focus their priorities the UK every year (81,400 in England).
and spend their budget. Public funding is, after all,
at a premium. This is about the overall day-to-day wellbeing of
millions of people up and down the country, not least
It can be tempting to view the battle against tobacco as the tens of thousands in your locality alone.
one that we as a country are winning.
This is about enabling those with a direct responsibility
The last decade has seen unprecedented changes to for public health to deliver on their promise to
tobacco laws, but, the fact remains, when it comes to transform the living standards and quality of life of
preventable deaths in the UK, smoking-related illness people who depend on them.
is responsible for more fatalities every year than
obesity, alcohol, suicide, traffic, murder and This is about saving billions of pounds and, more
HIV combined. importantly, saving countless lives.
The more that people start to think smoking is not a
serious issue, the more serious the issue becomes.
Major causes of death in England
ASH Factsheet, Smoking Statistics: Illness and Death, June 2012
3
The overall cost of smoking
to the English economy, each year,
is estimated at around:
£13.8bn
Let that sink in for a second - nearly fourteen
billion pounds. And this is how it’s spent... £9.5bn
Costs to businesses and economy due to sick
days and lost productivity from premature death
Turning the spotlight on
a smoke-damaged nation
£2.7bn
Direct costs to local NHS from smoking
The consequences of smoking can seem less
£713mn
immediate to the eye than many other health
concerns. Because of this, the ‘visibility’ of the
tobacco problem is lessened.
The truth is, you really don’t need to look far to see Costs of secondhand smoking due to lost
the damage that smoking does every day. You can see
productivity from early death
it in the hospitals across your region. You see it in
your local hospices, cancer wards and mortuaries.
£507mn
You see it in the £9.5 billion lost productivity to local
business every year. You see it in illicit tobacco trading
and the criminal action it fuels. You see it in the
poverty of those who struggle to pay for their addiction
and their families that suffer as a result. You see it in Costs to local authorities and individuals due to
the cigarette butts that line the streets. You smell it at house fires
bus stops, outside pubs and offices, and you hear it in
the coughing of those that just can’t kick the habit.
Because, just like the cloud of smoke it produces,
tobacco use is pervasive. It expands, and moves
and permeates everything in its path, impacting
£342mn
on so much more than just people’s lungs, hearts
and health. Costs to local authorities due to litter cleaning
Cough Up: Balancing tobacco income and costs in
society Report, Policy Exchange Thinktank 2010
5
Turning off the tap of new young smokers; the true value of positive change Every year an estimated 207,000 children start smoking in the UK – that’s 24 every hour of every day. As people die from smoking, the tobacco industry must recruit new smokers to replace them, most of which are under 18. We work hard, with many partners and young people themselves, to turn off this tap of new smokers so children can have a future without tobacco, free from harmful addiction and early death. We are passionate about what we do today because in tobacco, small shifts can have a massive impact. The rippling positive effect of even the smallest of changes can be extraordinary. For example, if both smoking parents of a family stopped smoking they would save themselves and their family over £5,000 a year. Such a substantial amount of money could be used in so many ways; to clear debt, pay rent, take an annual holiday or support university tuition. Their children would be less at risk of illness from secondhand smoke, less at risk of becoming smokers, and the whole family would increase their chances of leading fuller and healthier longer lives. They’d have fewer days absent from work and they’d cost the NHS less money. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone. More money in their pocket gives people the opportunity to make more active choices about how they want to live their lives. And it helps us, collectively, as a nation, recover an economy which needs all the help it can get. 6 7
Tackling tobacco is the key
to a bigger picture of health
There’s a great deal of flexibility around how public Tobacco Free Futures has consistently delivered
health budgets are spent, and rightly so. But evidence results, making an immediate positive impact on the
shows that taking money from tobacco control lives of thousands of people.
programmes and reallocating it to other initiatives is
often a false economy. A collaborative approach is fundamental to all of our
successes, both individual and collective alike. And
For example, reducing the number of people who use for the ongoing benefit of public health in general, the
tobacco reduces heart disease and emphysema, not most effective approach will always be to establish
only lowering local NHS spend by billions across the strong and valuable partnerships at every level, across
country, but importantly reducing social care costs for each sector.
local authorities too.
The benefits of tobacco control far outreach the
Fighting against the harm that tobacco causes can all specific effects of smoking itself, having a positive
too often be seen purely as a long game; that somehow impact on a range of other areas and services. This is
the short-term benefits might be few and far between. a reality that needs to be understood if budgets are
This simply isn’t true. to be maximised and a genuine difference made to
people’s lives.
8 9
Tobacco Free Futures and You
“
We are passionate
We understand the modern constraints, pressures and about everything we
tough choices faced by those who work for the benefit
of public health. do today because
This is why we will always work with you, side-by-side,
in tobacco, small
to deliver an effective service, tailored specifically to shifts have a massive
the needs of individual local authorities for maximum
impact and lasting success.
impact. The rippling
positive effect of
With a team of internationally recognised experts,
leading and shaping policy and practice on a even the smallest
worldwide scale, Tobacco Free Futures has a proven of changes can be
”
track record of producing real results in a short
space of time. extraordinary; they last
Our comprehensive approaches to tackling
a lifetime.
tobacco involve:
Andrea Crossfield
• Youth-led and youth-focused action Tobacco Free Futures Chief Executive
• Protecting children and adults from
secondhand smoke
• Reducing the supply and demand for
illicit tobacco
• Motivating and supporting people to quit
•
•
Delivering award-winning campaigns
Supporting smokefree pregnancy
Get in touch
Of course, this is just a fraction of the work we do. We
are always striving for innovation and will tailor every
service to the particular needs of the people we
work with.
Some of our award winning programmes
Chemical Pregnancy Reward
Soup Scheme
10 11
Customer feedback Get in touch
From consulting and training, resources and research, to
“Tobacco Free Futures offer a professional delivering targeted campaigns that truly maximise returns
on investment, we can enhance and support your capacity to
approach and high quality materials which
develop, deliver and invest in innovative tobacco control. Our
play a key role in shaping the local tobacco award-winning approach makes a genuine and immediate
programme. A very tight and professional difference to the lives of people in your region.
operation who always add value.
Recommendations for practice from TFF Whatever we do, we start the process the same way; with
a conversation. Consultations are completely free so get in
are strategic, evidence based with an eye for
touch today.
simplicity and ease of communication. TFF
are highly literate in all aspects of tobacco 4th Floor Dale House
35 Dale Street
control, both nationally and regionally, and
Manchester, M1 2HF
are strong both on marketing, advocacy
0161 238 6380
nous and practical ideas.”
info@tobaccofreefutures.org
Rebecca Mellor, Public Health Manager
Wirral Council tobaccofreefutures.org
@tff4kids
linkd.in/10EzrAk
“Tobacco Free Futures came for a week
and delivered training to children’s centre
staff, midwives, health visitors and practice
Some of our awards
nurses. This has enabled us to embed a
smokefree homes pathway for families. Joint Winner: 2012 Michael Chan Award
North West Public Health Awards 2012
The training was vibrant, informative and
challenging. The evaluation showed a 2 x Gold Awards: Take 7 Steps Out
CIPR PRide North West Awards 2011
substantial increase in knowledge and
confidence to talk to families about the Winner: Take 7 Steps Out
effects of tobacco smoke.” The Marketing Society Northern Awards 2011
Highly Commended: North of England Illicit
Heather Rowell, Commissioner for Tobacco for Better Health Programme
Tobacco Control, Isle of Wight Council North West Public Health Awards 2011
Winner: Smoke & Mirrors
European Drug Prevention Prize 2010
Rebecca Mellor, Public Health Manager
Wirral Council Winner: Best Cinema Campaign or
Commercial, Smoke & Mirrors
Roses Advertising Awards 2010
Winner: Public Sector Campaign of the Year,
Let’s make smoking history for our children
campaign
Public Affairs Awards 2009
We are a social enterprise. Any surplus we make goes straight back into improving the products, resources and services we provide
to make smoking history. Tobacco Free Futures Community Interest Company 4th Floor Dale House, 35 Dale St. Manchester M1 2HF.
Company no. 8391032 registered in England & WalesYou can also read
