Smoking costs Yorkshire industry £160m per year
Jun 9 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
SMOKERS in Yorkshire cost local industry £160m per year, according to a new report.
Cigarette breaks and smoking related sick leave is behind the loss, says an NHS Smokefree report by the London School of Economics.
To combat the problem, the NHS is offering free help to employers, including one-to-one and group support sessions with trained stop smoking advisers.
The NHS is also unrolling a stop smoking service across the region, after it was piloted in Rotherham, where GPs and pharmacists recommend quitting services to all smokers.
The scheme aims to embed a culture within all primary care services of giving routine advice on stopping smoking. Primary care trust staff will be given full training on helping smokers quit.
Professor Paul Johnstone, regional director of public health at NHS Yorkshire and Humber said: “More people than ever are giving up smoking, thanks to NHS Smoke Free and the ban on smoking in public buildings.
“It really is a win-win situation – smokers are helped to give up and employers can save some money. £160m is an astonishing figure. As a society we cannot afford to lose money in this way. This affects everyone and is another good reason to give up smoking.”
