Data is not forthcoming
A Scottish health charity is calling for the Scottish Government and NHS health boards for increased transparency regarding funding being invested in smoking cessation services.
ASH Scotland’s call comes as the latest figures for 2024/25 published by Public Health Scotland today (30 September) show an increase in the total number of quit smoking attempts (31,095, up from 30,317), including in the 40% most deprived areas (18,847, up from 18,363), supported by NHS Scotland’s free Quit Your Way services.
There is a slight improvement in the number of successful 12-week quits (5,352 up from 5,201) in the most deprived areas. This is a positive development but well below the annual target of 7,026 quit. The latest figure means that 76% of the target was achieved, which is much less than the 97% achieved in 2019/20, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity is raising concern that the Scottish Government has not provided details of its annual funding to health boards for smoking cessation services in 2025/26.
The last publicly available figure regarding government annual funding to NHS health boards to deliver smoking cessation services was the £7,852,085 invested in 2021/22, a significant reduction from the £9,110,000 allocated in 2016/17.
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said: “With tobacco continuing to be the biggest preventable killer in Scotland causing nearly 9,000 premature deaths each year, we welcome the latest figures showing a rise in the number of quit smoking attempts supported by NHS Scotland’s smoking cessation services in our most deprived communities.
“The vast majority of people in Scotland who successfully give up smoking don’t use anything to aid their quit attempts, but it is vital that those who need behavioural support can benefit from NHS Scotland’s free person-centred specialist Quit Your Way services delivered by qualified health professionals which improves the chances of success by three to four times to reach a tobacco-free life.
“As the Scottish Government’s funding for smoking cessation services showed a downward trend between 2016/17 and 2021/22, and no details have been provided for 2025/26, ASH Scotland is calling for increased transparency and accountability by the government and regional health boards regarding funding for Quit Your Way services, which are needed to drive progress towards Scotland becoming a tobacco-free nation in 2034.”
