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Calls for Tobacco Track and Trace data to be shared with police
The National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) is calling for Tobacco Track and Trace (TT&T) technology to be made available to policing in order to crack down on the illicit tobacco trade.
In a report compiled by City, University of London and authored by Professor of Criminology Emmeline Taylor, recommendations were made to share and utilise the information available better.
Currently the TT&T legislation specifies that only HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have access to the database although National Trading Standards can now access the ‘app’ following the enactment of The Finance Act 2022.
The report makes a total of eight recommendations which includes a call for the legislation around the use and access to TT&T to be revisited so that law enforcement can use it to improve intelligence and investigation into the illegal sale of tobacco products and other associated crimes.
Commenting on the report, NBCC lead Supt Patrick Holdaway said: “If police were able to access Tobacco Track and Trace App and the database, they would be able to routinely check tobacco being sold by local retailers to ensure it was legitimate. This would undoubtedly act as deterrent to any retailers thinking about purchasing tobacco on the black market and reselling it. In turn that reduces the demand for criminals to steal it in the first place as they will have less people willing to buy it from them. The NBCC will work with the relevant partners and stakeholders to explore how the recommendations can be implemented.”
Source: Convenience Store, 18 July 2024
See also: NBCC report - Lighting Up: How Tobacco Track and Trace Could Help Illuminate Stolen Goods Markets and Other Serious Crimes
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English councils call for further delay to social care costs cap
Long-awaited changes designed to protect individuals from having to sell their homes to meet large social care bills must be further delayed because of funding and staffing shortages, the leaders of England’s largest councils have said.
Plans to introduce a cap on social care costs – which would limit people’s lifetime care cost contributions to a maximum of £86,000 – in October 2025 will be impossible to deliver, the County Councils Network (CCN) said.
It called on the health and social care secretary, Wes Streeting, to urgently decide whether to push ahead with the cap, warning that to do so without a multibillion-pound cash injection would lead to some councils in effect being pushed into bankruptcy.
“To put it bluntly, it will be impossible to implement these reforms next autumn in the current timescales and with no funding committed to the reforms,” said Martin Tett, the adult social care spokesperson for the CCN.
Councils are struggling to hire enough care workers, with the latest Skills for Care workforce data published this week revealing that 131,000 care jobs were unfilled. Skills for Care predicts that more than 400,000 extra staff will have to be recruited over the next decade to meet demand.
The cap was adopted by Boris Johnson as prime minister in 2021 to meet a 2019 manifesto promise that pensioners would not have to sell homes to fund care costs in old age. It raised the amount of assets a person can have before getting state funding for social care from £23,250 to £100,000 and capped lifetime care costs at £86,000.
However, a year later the government postponed the cap’s introduction to 2025 because of funding concerns. At the time, the then shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, now the chancellor, called the postponement “another broken promise after 12 years of Tory failure on social care”.
The £1.7bn set aside to fund the changes was reallocated to meet councils’ day-to-day social care running costs. Councils say this has enabled them to “keep the show on the road” amid rising inflation and demand for care, and say taking it back would lead to services being cut and push many councils in effect into bankruptcy.
Although Streeting suggested during the election campaign that Labour was committed to a 2025 introduction of the care costs cap – saying “that’s the plan as things stand” – it was not part of the party’s manifesto, and ministers have so far suggested economic growth and housing are the immediate priorities.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We know that people are suffering without the care they need and we are committed to ensuring everyone lives an independent, dignified life.
“We are going to grip the social care crisis, starting with the workforce by delivering a new deal for care workers.
“We will also take steps to create a National Care Service underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.”
Source: The Guardian, 19 July 2024
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Council to cut funding for mental health centres
Funding for mental health wellbeing services in Hampshire is set to be slashed despite charity concerns over the knock-on effects on waiting lists.
Hampshire County Council (HCC) has approved a cut to funding for wellbeing centres, which provide support for people recovering from mental health issues.
Mental health charity Solent Mind said they provided help "during times of need". The council said it faced "very difficult decisions" in dealing with its £132m predicted financial shortfall for 2025/26.
The 13 centres in the Hampshire local authority area and are non-clinical settings in easy-to-access high street locations. From the end of January 2025, the funding will be reduced from £1,281,777 to £625,000.
Sally Arscott, chief executive of Solent Mind, said that the centres provided safe spaces for emotional support, workshops, courses and activities
She said the county council should take a "proactive approach" since the services help "reduce the burden faced by statutory services," particularly children's services.
Liz Fairhurst, the council's executive member for adult social care and public health, acknowledged "how valuable" the centres were and emphasised that none would be closed.
"Adult health and care will be providing these services without charge. Even if we can't provide all the money people would like, we are providing in kind by doing this and giving buildings of peppercorn rent," she said.
Source: BBC News, 19 July 2024
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Alcohol abuse costs top £120m in Barnsley
Spiralling alcohol abuse which costs Barnsley more than £120m a year has been laid bare in a shocking council-led study - prompting a panel of health leaders to come together to reverse year-on-year increases in those requiring treatment.
More than 4,000 Barnsley residents have been identified as being alcohol dependent, with the town’s hospital admissions for related conditions being 26 per cent higher than the Yorkshire and Humber rate and almost a third higher than the national average.
The worsening statistics resulted in the council’s public health team commissioning a study into the local picture - likened to an ‘epidemic’ by support services - and councillors will meet to discuss a plan of action on Tuesday, the Chronicle can reveal.
The Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) revealed related harm costs the country £27bn a year but Barnsley’s figure of £120.7m - split between the bills accrued by the NHS, police, council and social services - now places the town as one of the worst-hit places in the UK.
A council report added: “Problematic drinking is defined as drinking more than the recommended limit of 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women.
“It is a costly problem for society, especially for areas like Barnsley, where the estimated cost of alcohol harm is above the national average.
“Barnsley has an estimated 4,024 adults in Barnsley who are alcohol dependent.
“The prevalence has significantly increased locally whereas the national and regional rates show a slight increase.
“Trends for alcohol-specific conditions also show that across the last five years, they have been consistently above the national level and have risen year upon year.
“Alcohol consumption changed substantially during the Covid-19 pandemic for many people.”
The charity, Alcohol Change UK, called for more alcohol care teams in hospitals, alongside further preventative measures. Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, said: “It’s important to recognise that there are more people struggling with alcohol problems than most of us realise, and that the number of people being affected by alcohol harm is increasing.
“We also need to put prevention measures in place to stop people reaching the stage when they need to attend hospital in the first place.
“These measures include minimum unit pricing and restrictions on alcohol marketing to help prevent harm and reduce costs for the NHS.
“Alcohol care teams are currently available in some hospitals in the UK but we need them to be available in every major hospital, working across hospital departments and with community alcohol services, to ensure that people struggling with alcohol problems receive the help they need.”
Source: Barnsley Chronicle, 19 July 2024
See also: The Institute of Alcohol Studies – Economy of alcohol
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Job advert: Programme Manager - Preventable Risk Factors
Join the pioneering team at the Humber and North Yorkshire Centre of Excellence for Preventable Risk Factors as a Programme Manager. The applicant will lead innovative public health initiatives aimed at tackling smoking, poor diet, and harmful alcohol consumption. This role requires a strategic thinker with exceptional leadership, public health expertise, communication, and negotiation skills to drive transformative health improvements.
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Job advert: Head of Preventable Risk Factors
The NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board is seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Preventable Risk Factors for our Centre of Excellence. This is an exciting opportunity to lead innovative initiatives targeting alcohol, obesity, and tobacco control policies. The post holder will collaborate with key stakeholders, drive strategic leadership, and influence population-level interventions to reduce health inequalities and improve public health outcomes.
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ASH Comment on King’s Speech announcement about the Tobacco and Vapes Bill
In the King’s Speech this week the Government announced that the reintroduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was an early priority for the Government in the forthcoming session. ASH published a press release supporting this move with quotes from ASH CEO Deborah Arnott along with other health charity executives including The British Heart Foundation, Fresh and Balance, the Association of Directors of Public Health and more.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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