THE number of people quitting smoking with the help of public health workers in York has plummeted in the last year.

In spring last year the amount of free help available for people who want to stop smoking was cut drastically for all but a few people, as City of York Council took over responsibility from the NHS and tried to balance the books.

New figures released by the council now show the number of people getting help to quit has fallen drastically - even more than expected. Even the number of pregnant women getting help has fallen despite parts of the free service still running for them.

The cuts came into play after public health responsibilities were passed from the NHS to local councils. In York, this meant that many people who would have got nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) like patches or gum for free or on prescription then had to buy their own. It also meant drug Varenicline - which cuts cravings and withdrawal symptoms - was cut in York.

Only pregnant women or people with long term health conditions can get any help to quit under the new public health service, and only pregnant women can get 12 weeks of free NRT.

A report by assistant public health director Fiona Phillips shows the number of people who used the service and were still smoke-free four weeks in fell from 366 to 2015/16 to just 33 in 2016/17 - a drop of more than 90 per cent in just one year. And between 2014/15 and last year, that figure for pregnant women fell from 30 to just seven.

The report says although a lot of people are referred to the service - in total 278 last year - many do not go on to set themselves a “quit date”, and anecdotal evidence points to the lack of NRT and Varenicline on offer as an influence.

It adds: “Anecdotally our Stop Smoking advisers and the Midwifery service tell us that there has been some breakdown in relations since the transfer of the service into the local authority, and public health are now working with the Midwifery service to address this.”

Ms Phillips’ report also explains that restarting funds for NRT and Varenicline could cost up to £74,000 a year. It asks the councillors to consider that cost “in the context of the costs to the council and the wider economy of people continuing to smoke”.

The figures are due to be discussed at a health committee meeting next week, and since its publication Ms Phillips has added: “The report highlights a number of measures we are looking to take to increase the number of people using the service, including working with partners to raise awareness of the service we offer.

“On top of this we are increasing the number of staff who are trained to provide stop smoking support across the city.”

Anyone looking to stop smoking can call 01904 553377 or visit www.york.gov.uk/stopsmoking for more information, she said.