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The King’s Fund calls for more NHS managers to ease burden on front-line staff
The King’s Fund has warned that a shortage of managers in the NHS is forcing doctors and nurses to spend excessive time on administrative work rather than patient care. Its analysis found there is now one manager for every 33 NHS staff, compared with one for every 27 in 2010.
The think tank said this imbalance leaves clinicians covering gaps that should be filled by trained administrative and operational staff, contributing to burnout and low morale. It called on the government to invest in management capacity rather than criticising NHS administrators.
Source: The Telegraph, 10 November 2025
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EU tobacco tax consultation flooded with pro-industry submissions
An EU consultation on proposed rises to tobacco and nicotine taxes drew 18,480 responses, around nine times higher than the average for such consultations. Analysis found that 68 percent of submissions came from France, Italy and Sweden, and that thousands used identical industry-linked terms such as “harm reduction” and “illicit trade.” Fewer than 90 health organisations took part, accounting for just 0.5 percent of all responses.
The European Commission’s proposal would raise cigarette taxes from €90 to €215 per 1,000 units, increase rolling tobacco tax from €60 to €215 per kilogram, and impose steep hikes on cigars and e-cigarettes. Health groups warn that a coordinated industry campaign has overwhelmed genuine public input at a critical stage of EU policymaking.
Source: Politico, 6 November 2025
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Greece to make tobacco firms fund cigarette butt cleanups
Tobacco companies in Greece will be required to contribute to the cost of removing cigarette butts from public spaces under a new plan submitted for consultation. The proposal would create a collection system financed by the industry to support municipal cleanup efforts and provide free ashtrays and bins, extending tobacco firms’ social and environmental responsibility for the waste their products generate.
Environmental group WWF Greece criticised the draft plan for lacking transparency in how funds would be allocated, and suggested introducing a €0.019 per-filter fee to create an independent cleanup and innovation fund managed without industry involvement.
Source: Ekathimerini, 9 November 2025
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ECHR rules Estonia’s prison smoking ban breaches inmates’ rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Estonia’s blanket ban on smoking in prisons violates inmates’ right to a private life. The total ban, introduced in 2017, prohibited prisoners from smoking anywhere on prison grounds.
The ECHR voted 4–3 that Estonia exceeded its authority by removing designated smoking areas. Estonia’s Minister of Justice, Liisa Pakosta, said the government plans to appeal the decision to the ECHR’s Grand Chamber.
Source: TVP, 9 November 2025
See also: ECHR - CASE OF VAINIK AND OTHERS v. ESTONIA | ASH - Briefing: The implementation of smokefree prisons in England and Wales
Editorial note:
In 2015, the then government announced that all prisons in England and Wales would become smokefree (prisons are devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Since then, smoke-free prison laws have withstood robust scrutiny and multiple appeals.
The ban followed on from smokefree laws in high security hospitals which had withstood legal appeals from patients and undergone consideration by the European Court of Human Rights. In this case, the High Court decisively ruled that the right to smoke is not a fundamental human right under the European Convention on Human Rights, a decision upheld both at first instance and on appeal. The ruling also highlighted the duty of care towards staff, requiring institutions to take all reasonable steps to protect them from second-hand smoke.
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Written answer
Asked by David Simmonds, Shadow HCLG Minister, Conservative, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled, Communities to seize control over high streets and restore pride, by what mechanism will his Department block (a) vapes stores and (b) fake barbers.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh, Devolution, Faith and Communities Minister, Labour, Peckham
The Government’s Pride in Place strategy sets out how we are giving communities the tools to drive improvements on their high streets. These include powers to auction leases of long-term vacant properties, which will provide opportunities for councils to cultivate a more diverse high street offering, as well as streamlined compulsory purchase order powers, and a new community right to buy valued local assets.
Enforcement against rogue traders, such as fake barbers, is being strengthened through enhanced checks by Companies House and coordinated national enforcement. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products and provide powers for ministers to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products.
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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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