The UK government has set an ambitious goal to make England smoke-free by 2030. This goal is to reduce the smoking rate to below 5% (Hopkinson, 2020). Scotland set a similar target for 2034 (Lewis, 2020).
Despite having some of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, smoking remains a significant contributor to premature death in the UK. Presently, approximately 15% of adults in the UK smoke cigarettes. To achieve the 5% target by 2030, the rate of change must surpass current predictions by a margin of ‘40% faster’ (Lewis, 2020).
The UK has achieved notable advances in addressing the tobacco epidemic by implementing a range of policies. These include taxation to decrease the affordability of tobacco products, the adoption of standardised packaging and display bans and the implementation of smoke-free legislation.
In 2006, Scotland banned smoking in enclosed public spaces and workplaces, with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland implementing similar bans in 2007. In 2007, Scotland, England and Wales raised the minimum age for purchasing tobacco from 16 to 18. Plain packaging was introduced in 2016.
The use of tobacco plays a crucial role in exacerbating health inequality. More than 25% of individuals in routine and manual occupations smoke, whereas only 10% of those in professional and managerial roles do (Hopkinson, 2020). Hospital admissions linked to smoking are elevated in economically disadvantaged areas (Lewis, 2020).
The government has commissioned a review into its ambition to make England smoke-free by 2030 (Khan, 2022; Balogun and Harker, 2023). The recent proposal to create a smoke-free generation and ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 is a bold and necessary step toward a healthier future (Rae and Stingelin, 2023). There has been much support in response to the announcement made in the King's Speech concerning a Tobacco and Vapes Bill. However, achieving this goal requires continued commitment and innovative policies.
Nurses have a key role to play. They are the largest safety-critical profession in healthcare and can exert a demonstrable influence in supporting people to stop smoking (Royal College of Nursing, 2023). They are ideally placed to encourage patients to quit smoking, provide accurate information and education, offer cessation resources and inform stakeholders on population health strategies to prevent initiation and reduce youth vaping.
Although implementing national policies or strategies may pose challenges, efforts are under way to achieve the desired impact (Waterall and Fisher, 2024). The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) (2023) is committed to providing £138 million annually from 2024-25 to 2028-29, to local authorities for stop-smoking services. This investment is crucial for supporting and implementing evidence-based interventions, and assisting individuals to quit smoking. The DHSC plans to facilitate 360 000 individuals annually in setting a quit date, resulting in 198 000 successful quits (measured as 4-week quits) as a result of the increased funding. Nurses are key to the success of smoking cessation services because people are more likely to engage with services when referred by a nurse. Nurses across all settings are ideally positioned to encourage increased referrals to these services.