Free vape starter kits to be offered to Bristol smokers on the NHS in 'world first'

Almost half of all smokers in the Bristol region will be offered free vape starter kits to help them quit.

Almost half of all smokers in the Bristol region will be offered free vape starter kits on the NHS as part of a “world-first” drive to help people kick the habit.

The local health authority has successfully bid for £2.2million from the Government to pay for 60,000 devices.

The aim is to help smokers switch from cigarettes to vapes which are considered much safer, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) board heard.

There are an estimated 144,320 tobacco users across the area, with 60 percent of these in the city.

The ICP has set itself a target to be “Smokefree” by 2030/31, which it defines as smoking rates of under five percent of the adult population.

But this requires about 24,000 people to quit every year until then, the board meeting was told on Wednesday, 29 November.

The pioneering free e-cigarettes initiative, called Swap to Stop, was announced by the Government in April and the ICP’s bid has just been approved.

The pioneering free e-cigarettes initiative, called Swap to Stop, was announced by the Government in April

Public health consultant Samuel Hayward told board members that Bristol had the highest smoking rate in the South West, caused partly by the legacy of the tobacco industry.

He said: “The evidence is clear that, for smokers, nicotine vaping is a far less risky option and poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking in the short and medium term.

“Vaping should be offered as an alternative for smoking but not as an activity which is appealing to the wider non-smoking population.

“Vaping is not for children – we need to reduce the uptake of vaping and the number of young people accessing vape products.”

He said the vapes would be given out by existing specialist stop-smoking services. 

Director of Public Health Matt Lenny said: “This is a significant opportunity for us.

“We really welcome the change in policy and investment in services.”

Board chairman Jeff Farrar said: “This is excellent and is really about what we have been trying to do.”

Credit: Adam Postans/ Local Democracy Reporter