The Mayor of Greater Manchester is encouraging smokers to kick the habit this Stoptober

Stoptober, the nationwide initiative from Public Health England that encourages smokers to quit for 28 days, is back.

Research shows that if you are able to quit smoking for 28 days then you are five times more likely to quit for good.

Over the past few years the smoking rates across the city-region have been consistently falling. Greater Manchester is leading the way for tobacco control in the UK, by setting an unprecedented ambition to reduce smoking prevalence levels at a pace and scale greater than any other major global city.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is encouraging people to take part in the annual Stoptober campaign this year.

He said: “This is the seventh year of the Stoptober campaign, and last year it was extremely successful with the number of people quitting increasing from 6 per cent in 2016 to 8 per cent in 2017. But this year we are looking to increase this figure even more.

“Everyone in Greater Manchester has the opportunity to quit smoking together starting today and this initiative is a great way to tackle this addictive habit, with the power of Mancunians coming together to help each other.”

“I wish everyone taking part the best of luck.”

Chair of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, Lord Peter Smith said: “It’s fantastic to see so many smokers taking up the challenge to quit and that success rates are improving year on year. Recent figures show that smoking rates continue to drop, with the percentage of people in Greater Manchester who smoke now 17.5 per cent compared to 23.9 per cent in 2011.

“Stoptober helps the communities of Greater Manchester to think about quitting smoking and join in with the challenge.

“The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership is Making Smoking History in Greater Manchester - we are currently working with our partners to achieve the ambitious target of reducing smoking prevalence in the city region by a third by 2021. Stoptober is certainly helping us to get there.”

Stoptober offers a range of free support to help people on their quitting journey including an app, daily emails, Facebook Messenger and lots of encouragement from the Stoptober online community on Facebook. In addition, Greater Manchester residents can get call the city region’s stop smoking helpline on 0300 123 1044 to find out about support to stop smoking close to them.

Stoptober has also been marked in Greater Manchester with the launch of a UK-first smoking cessation programme in one of the city’s hospitals. From today, all patients admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital (part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust) will be prescribed medication to tackle their addiction to tobacco and offered intensive support to help them stay smoke-free during their stay at hospital and once they go home.

The CURE Programme, which is modelled on a comprehensive approach to treating tobacco addiction in hospitals that has been highly effective in Canada, is due to be rolled out in hospitals across Greater Manchester by 2020. As well as transforming thousands of lives, the initiative will free up thousands of hospital beds each year and save the NHS in Greater Manchester an estimated £10 million a year.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Smoking remains the biggest single cause of early death and ill health in Greater Manchester. The CURE Programme is part of our wider ambition for Greater Manchester to be the first city-region in Europe to make smoking history.

“Currently, only six per cent of hospital patients who smoke are referred to specialist smoking cessation services. With the CURE Programme we want to make that 100 per cent across Greater Manchester, so that those who want to quit get the best possible support to do so.”

To access more information and support to quit smoking please visit the Stoptober website: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/be-healthier/quit-smoking/stoptober.