Brighton and Hove's 50,000 smokers urged to take part in Stoptober

The national campaign said those who quit for 28 days are five times more likely to stop for good

Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which commissions health services in the city, said smoking tobacco is the biggest cause of premature death in Brighton and Hove, and around 20 per cent of adults in the city currently smoke.

It added there has been more than 930 smoking-related deaths in the city between 2013 and 2015, higher than the national average.

The illnesses and diseases smoking causes create further demand on local NHS services and Adult Social Care, and the cost of smoking to the Brighton and Hove community is estimated to be £81.9 million each year due to lost productivity fire, litter, NHS and adult social care services.

The Stoptober campaign encourages anyone who has struggled to stop smoking to try and use an e-cigarette to help them quit for good.

Debbie Ludlam, clinical commissioning support manager for Cancer Services at Brighton and Hove CCG, said: “We are committed to reducing the number of local people smoking. It’s terrible the life expectancy of a smoker is around 10 years less than a non-smoker, and this has a real cost to our city. Supporting people to permanently quit smoking will significantly improve health and reduce health inequalities locally.

“Through the campaign we are saying that smokers should not be put off if they have already made several attempts to quit, join in with Stoptober and benefit from free support, including the free Stoptober app and a daily email giving support.”

To find out more, visit: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/stoptober/home