Mental Health and Smoking Partnership
NEW: Mental Health and Smoking Partnership recommendations for the 2021 Tobacco Control Plan for England
About us
Smoking prevalence among people with a mental health condition is more than 50% higher than in the general population. The Mental Health and Smoking Partnership aims to address this disparity in smoking rates and ensure smokers with a mental health condition are not left behind as we move towards a smokefree generation.
The Partnership was established in 2016 following the publication of The Stolen Years report. Its aim is to bring together organisations committed to improving the health and lives of people with a mental health condition through achieving report’s ambitions.
The Partnership meets quarterly and brings together Royal Colleges, third sector organisations and academia to review progress and highlight areas for further action. It is jointly chaired by Professor Ann McNeill of UKCTAS and the National Addictions Centre King’s College London, and Professor Paul Burstow, Chair of Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence.
LATEST REPORT Smokefree Skills: Training needs of mental health nurses and psychiatrists
This report from ASH and the Mental Health & Smoking Partnership examines the current training of mental health nurses and psychiatrists to help their patients quit smoking.
The report is accompanied by a 2-page training guide which sets out each professional groups’ responsibilities in the stop smoking pathway and examples of appropriate training.
Our ambition
Most smokers who have a mental health condition want to quit and it’s vital that they receive the services and support they need to quit.
In Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s the Government committed to an ambitious target for England to be smokefree by 2030 – defined as a smoking prevalence of 5% or below.
It is vitally important that people with mental health conditions are not left behind as the country moves towards being smokefree. The Stolen Years report sets out clear recommendations for the actions needed to make this a reality. The press release can be viewed here.
