The vision
Our bold ambition is to end smoking, everywhere, for everyone, making Cheshire and Merseyside smokefree by 2030. All Together Smokefree is our collective strategy to deliver this in a way that is fair and equitable for our adult population, and ensures a tobacco free future for every child.
Nationally there is an ambition to create a smoke free generation, where fewer than 5% of people smoke across all demographic groups within society. A key component of this is the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, legislation which aims to curb smoking and vaping in a number of ways, including by raising the age of sale for tobacco by one year every year, meaning people born after 2009 will never be able to legally buy tobacco.
Radically reducing smoking remains the single greatest opportunity to reduce health inequalities and improve healthy life expectancy.
Why is it important?
- Smoking is the single leading cause of preventable death and is responsible for at least half of the difference in life expectancy between the least and most deprived in our sub region.
- Smoking is a cause of 16 cancers, diabetes, and dementia, and accounts for two-thirds of the difference in life expectancy in people with a serious mental illness.
- In Cheshire and Merseyside, 10.4% of adults over 18 now smoke regularly – a reduction of 1.3% since 2022 and below the national average of 11.6%. This progress reflects the dedication of our communities and stop-smoking services, but there is still more work to do.
What are we doing?
Stategic Framework
Cheshire and Merseyside Directors of Public Health Executive Board commissioned a situational analysis in 2023 to understand effective approaches to reducing smoking prevalence across the subregion.
Following this analysis, a system-wide Strategic Framework was co-produced, alongside a position statement and an implementation plan to deliver on national 2030 targets. The All Together Smokefree Board met for the first time in October 2024, and delivery of the programme is now ongoing.
Smoking Ends Here
The Smoking Ends Here campaign and website is designed to help the people of Cheshire and Merseyside become – and stay – smoke free.
The hub provides a place to house all the free advice and the local support offered by healthcare professionals in the subregion, the NHS Stop Smoking app, and other certified tools.
The website offers features such as a money saving calculator and real life stories from people in Cheshire and Merseyside who have stopped smoking, such as Conor’s below.
Smoke Free Spaces
Launched under our Smoking Ends Here campaign website, the Smokefree Spaces toolkit has been introduced to help Local Authorities and NHS Trusts create healthier environments by promoting smokefree policies, supporting quit attempts, and reducing exposure to second-hand smoke across public spaces.
It is designed to help communicate policies clearly and confidently, with guidance on how to talk about the policy, outlining the key messages, and giving examples to be used or adapted for different communication channels. The toolkit provides communication materials and guidance on policy development, enforcement strategies, and the introduction of supportive measures as a means of keeping sites smoke free.
Resources are designed to make it easier for hospitals, councils, and community spaces to adopt consistent smokefree standards across the subregion.
Workforce Training Hub
Cheshire and Merseyside’s Smoking Cessation Training Hub brings together high‑quality, evidence‑based training resources designed to strengthen and upskill the local NHS and Local Authority public health workforce.
The hub provides a dedicated, easily accessible space for all frontline staff—across Local Authorities, NHS Treating Tobacco Dependency Teams and wider public-facing services—to enhance their knowledge and confidence in delivering effective smoking cessation support.
It aims to help professionals reinforce smokefree norms, promote healthier environments, and provide consistent, evidence‑based advice for residents across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Key Facts and Updates
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first ever smokefree generation by making it an offence to sell tobacco products to those born on or after 1 January 2009, thereby phasing out the sale of tobacco products while not stopping anyone who currently legally smokes from being able to do so. This will mean anyone who turns 15 or younger in 2024 will never legally be sold tobacco products. The bill also includes:
- Powers to create a retail licensing regime for the sale of tobacco and vapes.
- Powers to extend smokefree legislation to public, outdoor areas.
- Powers to prohibit vaping in smokefree places.
- Powers to regulate vape product design
- A ban on vape advertising and sponsorship.
- A ban on vape vending machines
- Further powers to regulate the design of vapes.
Smoking in Cheshire and Merseyside
- Maternity: Smoking is the leading modifiable risk factor for poor birth outcomes and in our sub-region. Cheshire and Merseyside Smoking at Time of Delivery (SATOD) rate reduced for the full year 23/24 to 8.2%% from 10% in the previous year beginning to close the gap with England now at 7.4% (previously 8.8%).
- Severe mental illness: Smoking is the leading cause of the 10-20 year reduction in life expectancy for people with serious mental illness; in our sub-region, 45 per cent of people with serious mental illness are smokers.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Around 86 per cent of all COPD deaths are caused by smoking; in our sub-region, 1,258 people die from COPD, each year.
- Cancer: Smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer, responsible for 27 per cent of cancer deaths; in our sub-region, 1,547 people die from cancer caused by smoking, each year.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD): Smokers’ CVD risk is double that of non-smokers and nationally, 9.300 people die from CVD caused by smoking, each year.
Leadership
All Together Smokefree is part of All Together Fairer.
This work is overseen by the All Together Smokefree Board and the lead Director of Public Health is Dr Sarah McNulty, Director of Public Health for Knowsley.
More information
The Strategic Lead for All Together Fairer in the Champs Support Team is Andrea Crossfield MBE.
The Programme Managers in the Champs Support Team for All Together Smokefree are Louise Vernon and Emily Hawley.
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Read the latest All Together Smokefree news here.