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A report published today by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) calls on Labour to commission a national smoking cessation service from pharmacies in England.

The CCA said a national walk-in service would improve access to support for people living in areas of high deprivation. Drawing on data from Scotland’s nationwide stop smoking service, the CCA estimated an England equivalent would support over 200,000 people compared to the current 11,451.

“Pharmacy stop smoking services accounted for over two-thirds of all quit attempts made in Scotland in 2023-24,” the report said. “Pharmacies supported over 21,000 people to set a quit date. Simply scaling the number of quit attempts in Scotland to the English population would indicate over 225,000 quit attempts every year.

“Smoking cessation services have been a staple of the Scottish pharmacy contract for many years, allowing time for a change in public awareness of how to access this important service.”

Locally commissioned smoking services are patchy across England

The CCA said locally commissioned smoking cessation services are patchy across England, with some local authorities restricting access to services by patient characteristics such as age or restrictions for pregnant women, while some authorities do not give patients access to prescription-only medicines using patient group directions.

The report said that “leads to further variance in the patient experience and outcomes”. A national service, it said, would provide clarity and consistency in its messaging and improve public awareness.

“The higher rates of provision from national commissioning are partially from the greater simplicity of processes for pharmacy teams,” the report said.

“National guidelines can be followed and professionals moving across commissioning boundaries can be confident in the service they offer. There is also an important element of public and professional awareness.

“If the way to access smoking cessation services is the same everywhere, and the criteria for accessing care are the same, it is much easier to promote this to the public and other healthcare professionals.”

Access to pharmacy smoking services through NHS App

The CCA said digital pathways must be improved to allow GPs, hospital teams and health and social care workers to electronically refer patients to pharmacies.

It also said patients should be able to access pharmacy smoking cessation services through the NHS App.

“The Booking and Referral Standards allow different healthcare professionals to electronically refer patients across the health system,” the report said. “These are already being introduced for urgent care services but need to be applied to smoking cessation.”

The CCA said the current national community pharmacy smoking cessation service in England for patients who have started to quit in hospital and want to continue with their chosen community pharmacy is hindered by low engagement from hospitals. The report said less than five per cent of pharmacies receive referrals for the service.