Increase in people quitting smoking in Wales

There has been an increase in the number of smokers in Wales quitting with the help of the NHS.

Welsh Government statistics show nearly 15,000 people in Wales were treated by the NHS Wales’ Help Me Quit service, in the year ending 31 March 2018.

This is in contrast to the rest of the UK where numbers of smokers seeking NHS treatment and support has declined in recent years.

Public Health Wales say attempts to stop smoking are four times greater with NHS support.

Though the figure is a slight increase on the year before, only a small percentage of the smoking population are seeking NHS help to quit.

Just 3.11 per cent of smokers in Wales made an attempt to quit by using NHS stop-smoking services.

Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething AM, welcomed the latest figures.

The Welsh Government target is to reduce the number of adults smokers to 16% by 2020.

In 2016 and 2017 the rate of Welsh adults smoking was 19% despite efforts to help smokers quit.