York smokers cost the NHS £54.9 million (From York Press)
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York smokers cost the NHS £54.9 million
9:17am Tuesday 19th June 2012 in Health & Wellbeing
SMOKING in York costs the city an estimated £54.9 million a year, new figures have claimed.
According to NHS North Yorkshire and York, that is the total cost linked to the 35,200 smokers in York, covering everything from medical care to picking up cigarette ends from the streets.
In North Yorkshire, the estimated population of smokers is 97,600 costing about £152.3 million. However it is understood the figures do not account for the tens of millions in tax on cigarettes which smokers pay into Government coffers every year.
The figures also show York saw 299 smoking-related deaths in 2011, while North Yorkshire had 1,044.
The Department of Health now wants people in our region to have their say on the introduction of plain tobacco packaging – a move designed to prevent young people being lured into starting smoking.
Katie Needham, public health consultant at NHS North Yorkshire and York, said: “There is strong evidence that plain packaging on tobacco products can reduce smoking in under-18s which means we can potentially stop people getting addicted to smoking in the first place.
“Tobacco use remains one of the most significant challenges to public health across the UK. It is the primary cause of preventable and premature death, accounting each year for over 100,000 deaths across the country.”
The consultation runs until July 10 and can be found at consultations.dh.gov.uk
Comments(30)
smudge1
says...
9:26am Tue 19 Jun 12
Saywhat
says...
9:50am Tue 19 Jun 12
Hmmm, let me see ... sportsmen and their injuries (self inflicted through their choice of sport), skin cancer patients (too much sun/sunbeds, self inflicted), walkers falling off cliff tops (walk elsewhere then), idiots jumping into fast flowing rivers when drunk. Intoxicated adolescents. Obese wanting gastric bands. DIY accidents (get a professional).
We are a society whereby most visits to hospital are for something or other self inflicted, so most of the country add to the burden on the NHS (not just smokers). And I am of course not involving those who get genuine illnesses and diseases through no fault of their own.
pedalling paul
says...
9:51am Tue 19 Jun 12
NoNewsIsGoodNews wrote:Yipee..... !
Looking like it's going to be a "bash the smokers day" must have had enough of cycle stories.
TW
says...
10:45am Tue 19 Jun 12
Well Ms Needham - first of all cigarettes are now kept behind shutters therefore the packets are not visible to anyone anyway. Secondly, where is this strong evidence from ? As far as I'm aware there is only 1 country in the world that currently has plain packaging (Australia) and only since November last year so no real empirical evidence from there
AngryandFrustrated
says...
10:57am Tue 19 Jun 12
Saywhat wrote:I couldn't agree more. You gotta love NHS North Yorkshire and York for this study - let's tell the world how much smokers cost the NHS to demonise them even more and sway people to their point of view, without actually including the figures relating to the immense amount of tax that is paid into public coffers by the smokers. I wonder if the overall effect would be that that smokers paid in more than they cost? I suspect it would - after all, if the Government really, really wanted to get rid of smokers, they would just ban it - they don't which leads me to think that is because of the huge amount of tax that George Osbourne et al get into Government coffers!
Here we go again. Hmmm, let me see ... sportsmen and their injuries (self inflicted through their choice of sport), skin cancer patients (too much sun/sunbeds, self inflicted), walkers falling off cliff tops (walk elsewhere then), idiots jumping into fast flowing rivers when drunk. Intoxicated adolescents. Obese wanting gastric bands. DIY accidents (get a professional). We are a society whereby most visits to hospital are for something or other self inflicted, so most of the country add to the burden on the NHS (not just smokers). And I am of course not involving those who get genuine illnesses and diseases through no fault of their own.
I would like to see the same study repeated for the problems caused by drinkers in York and North Yorkshire. Forget the cost of picking up cigarette ends from the street - let's look at the immense cost of policing in York and other towns on a Friday and Saturday night - I think the costs of that would eclipse a street cleaner by some way!! Lets look at the huge increase in pressure, and resultant cost, on ambulance and A&E staff over the weekend who have to deal with drunken yobs of all ages and sexes.
Alcohol, does not of course attract the same level of duty as cigarettes so I would hazard a guess that drinking costs the economy far more than smoking does.
Be warned people - once they have finished with smokers, it will be the drinkers next with the minimum pricing of alcohol and whatever other hair-brained scheme the do-gooders come up with.
pedalling paul
says...
11:02am Tue 19 Jun 12
Shouter
says...
11:14am Tue 19 Jun 12
pedalling paul wrote:Didn't he make bicycles?
Personally I blame Sir Walter Raleigh.....!
Oncebitten
says...
11:18am Tue 19 Jun 12
pedalling paul wrote:Try Sir John Hawkins or Ricahrd Grenville....but NOT Sir Walter Raleigh....now put that in your pipe and.....oh perhaps not!
Personally I blame Sir Walter Raleigh.....!
YSTClinguist
says...
11:53am Tue 19 Jun 12
doi/full/10.1056/NEJ
M199710093371506
"CONCLUSIONS
If people stopped smoking, there would be a savings in health care costs, but only in the short term. Eventually, smoking cessation would lead to increased health care costs."
This apparently due to non-smokers living longer and their resulting major ill health illnesses costing more.
Makes for interesting discussion now, doesn't it?
Overproof
says...
11:56am Tue 19 Jun 12
FACT - Smokers cost the NHS approx 4 billion per year. HMRC collect over 9.5 billion per year in tobacco duty.
Using the financial argument about cost to the taxpayer, just doesn't hold water.
A much better angle would be the cost to the smoker of maintaining an ever more costly habit. It makes you smell. It gives you very bad breath etc etc.
Paula_T
says...
11:57am Tue 19 Jun 12
Saywhat wrote:Could not have put it better myself .
Here we go again.
Hmmm, let me see ... sportsmen and their injuries (self inflicted through their choice of sport), skin cancer patients (too much sun/sunbeds, self inflicted), walkers falling off cliff tops (walk elsewhere then), idiots jumping into fast flowing rivers when drunk. Intoxicated adolescents. Obese wanting gastric bands. DIY accidents (get a professional).
We are a society whereby most visits to hospital are for something or other self inflicted, so most of the country add to the burden on the NHS (not just smokers). And I am of course not involving those who get genuine illnesses and diseases through no fault of their own.
handymanphil
says...
11:57am Tue 19 Jun 12
Now why doesn't this (per usual) biased report state that ?
Kate Needham is as capable of telling the same lies as the rest of the anti smoking Jihad!
Overproof
says...
12:20pm Tue 19 Jun 12
NO,
(a) raising the smoking age to 18 and,
(b) Retailers adopting 'Challenge 25' schemes where if you look under 25 you show ID to prove you are over 18.
This is what has had the most effect in reducing the amount of smoking in the under-18s
YSTClinguist
says...
12:30pm Tue 19 Jun 12
It's incredible that the general public is still being sucked in by political spin from a rich elite even as they feel their way of life constricting around them. Look at the "Death Taxes" stories today for example. Rich elite avoid taxes, use private care, pass all their ill gotten gains to their kids propagating more elitism. The poor and middle class pay their taxes, pay for their own care, then they may have to pay a Death Tax meaning their savings are taken from them.
If the government isn't turning people against each other, anyone but them, they're playing with their Weapons of Mass Distraction. The Evening Press isn't the political wing of the government, I'm sure everyone here agrees that they ought to be posting peer reviewed data from both sides of an argument to best represent their readership and keep their heads held high.
Ignatius Lumpopo
says...
1:10pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Still a lot of money... although it does keep people in work...
Ignatius Lumpopo
says...
1:18pm Tue 19 Jun 12
AngryandFrustrated
says...
1:25pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Ignatius Lumpopo wrote:Thank you! Was just about to post and ask you how much you thought a pack of cigs was!!! It goes to show the REAL reason why the report did not take into account the amount of tax paid!! If it had, the headline would have had to be, "Smokers prop up the NHS" which would have had the spin doctors in this world in turmoil!!
Sorry. Got it wrong. Assuming 35200 York smokers smoke 20 a day, they pay a staggering £74.3m (not £43m) in tax and duty per annum. If this costs the city £54.9m pa, then the government makes £19.4m pa from the fag-smokers of our fair city. More actually, because most of us pay our council tax and NI contributions...
YorkPatrol
says...
1:49pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Jiffy
says...
3:28pm Tue 19 Jun 12
AngryandFrustrated wrote:You beat me too it!
Ignatius Lumpopo wrote: Sorry. Got it wrong. Assuming 35200 York smokers smoke 20 a day, they pay a staggering £74.3m (not £43m) in tax and duty per annum. If this costs the city £54.9m pa, then the government makes £19.4m pa from the fag-smokers of our fair city. More actually, because most of us pay our council tax and NI contributions...Thank you! Was just about to post and ask you how much you thought a pack of cigs was!!! It goes to show the REAL reason why the report did not take into account the amount of tax paid!! If it had, the headline would have had to be, "Smokers prop up the NHS" which would have had the spin doctors in this world in turmoil!!
Prob
says...
4:20pm Tue 19 Jun 12
News: fireman cost £50 million quid in York.
Back and Beyond
says...
7:57pm Tue 19 Jun 12
mel_drew
says...
10:17pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Ignatius Lumpopo wrote:But should you be assuming 20 a day? Published (by ASH) figures show 14 a day is average smokers consumption. Gives a figure of around 50 million per annum.
Sorry. Got it wrong. Assuming 35200 York smokers smoke 20 a day, they pay a staggering £74.3m (not £43m) in tax and duty per annum. If this costs the city £54.9m pa, then the government makes £19.4m pa from the fag-smokers of our fair city. More actually, because most of us pay our council tax and NI contributions...
Not that there's any real point in trying to work out these figures. On the whole, I'm inclined to agree with the theory that long lived non-smokers cost more to support in the long term.
Woody Mellor
says...
10:21pm Tue 19 Jun 12
powerwatt
says...
10:26pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Cost of NHS £106B
I would hazard a guess that they cancel each other out
Garrowby Turnoff
says...
10:51pm Tue 19 Jun 12
One person in five dies from smoking related disease.
Why don't the tobacco companies foot the NHS bill?
dsom73
says...
11:27am Wed 20 Jun 12
Now, where's my new f**king stadium?
deathwatch
says...
8:49pm Wed 20 Jun 12
smoking rob
says...
2:01pm Thu 21 Jun 12
baldiebiker
says...
11:50pm Mon 25 Jun 12
while we are on the subject of non-smokers who didn't go to the pub cause they couldn't stand the smell of the smoke, well where are they now?
NoNewsIsGoodNews says...
9:24am Tue 19 Jun 12