View this email in your browser ([link removed])
** 8 April 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
** UK
------------------------------------------------------------
** Tax gambling firms to fund addiction treatment says NHS director (#1)
------------------------------------------------------------
** East of England: Illicit tobacco seized during operation in Hertfordshire (#2)
------------------------------------------------------------
** International
------------------------------------------------------------
** US Study: Electronic health record may help patients with rheumatic diseases quit smoking (#3)
------------------------------------------------------------
** US Survey: Americans most concerned about loved ones’ lung health amid coronavirus pandemic (#4)
------------------------------------------------------------
** Parliamentary Activity
------------------------------------------------------------
** Parliamentary question (#5)
------------------------------------------------------------
** UK
------------------------------------------------------------
**
------------------------------------------------------------
** Gambling firms have profited during the coronavirus pandemic but are leaving the NHS to “pick up the pieces” of addiction and should have to pay a compulsory levy to fund treatment, the head of mental health in England has said.
Claire Murdoch – national mental health director for NHS England – denounced the voluntary system that lets the industry dictate how much it contributes to helping addicts. In an intervention that comes amid a government review of laws governing the £11 billion-a-year sector, Murdoch said 750 people have been referred to specialist clinics to treat serious addiction since April 2020. The health service is planning to open more gambling clinics across the country because it believes it is currently only reaching “the tip of the iceberg.”
Studies have found that there are between 300,000 and 1.4 million gambling addicts in Great Britain. However, a report published last year found that just 3% of them received specialist help, often relying on industry-funded helplines instead.
Labour’s Carolyn Harris, who chairs a cross-party group of MPs examining gambling harm, said: “The treatment and support services available for people with gambling addiction in this country are vastly underfunded. The industry should not get to decide when and how much they pay for the devastation they cause.”
The voluntary system has been criticised for raising too little – between £10 million and £15 million a year – with some operators giving nominal sums such as £1 to ensure inclusion on the public list of donors.
A department for digital, culture media and sport (DCMS) spokesperson said: “Our plans to update gambling laws build on our recent tough measures, including banning the use of credit cards, tighter age verification checks and cutting the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals. We’ve always been clear that should the voluntary system for supporting projects and services related to problem gambling fail to deliver necessary funding, all funding options would be considered, including a levy.”
Source: The Guardian, 7 April 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )
**
------------------------------------------------------------
** A tobacco detection dog helped sniff out almost 79,000 illegal cigarettes and over a kilo of tobacco during a two-day operation in Hertfordshire. The specially trained dog accompanied Hertfordshire County Council’s trading standards officers who carried out inspections across the county to identify and disrupt the supply of illegal tobacco.
The Hertfordshire-wide initiative took place under Operation CeCe, a National Trading Standards campaign in partnership with HMRC, to tackle illegal tobacco. Enquiries and investigations are now ongoing.
Andrew Butler, Assistant Director of Community Protection, said: “This successful operation is part of our ongoing strategy to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco. This campaign should send out a clear warning to shopkeepers that we will take action to stop illicit trading of this nature. Any business owners who are unclear about the law should contact us for advice.”
Source: Watford Observer, 2 April 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )
** International
------------------------------------------------------------
**
------------------------------------------------------------
** A new study has found that Quit Connect—a protocol involving electronic health record prompts for nurses and medical assistants in rheumatology clinics—can increase electronic referrals to free, state-run tobacco quit lines.
The researchers conducted a quasi‐experimental cohort study of Quit Connect at three rheumatology clinics comparing tobacco quit lines (TQL) referrals from four baseline years to referrals during a six‐month intervention period. Nurses and medical assistants were trained to use two standardised electronic health record (EHR) prompts to check readiness to quit smoking within 30 days, advise cessation, and connect patients using TQL e‐referral orders.
The researchers found that implementing Quit Connect led to electronic referrals for 71% of patients identified as ready to quit, with referrals taking less than 90 seconds for medical staff to complete.
Source: Medical Xpress, 7 April 2021
See also: Arthritis Care & Research - Impact of a Rheumatology Clinic Protocol on Tobacco Cessation Quit Line Referrals ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed])
**
------------------------------------------------------------
** A new survey from the American Lung Association reveals that Americans are concerned about their lung health and the lung health of their loved ones’ amid the coronavirus pandemic. The survey examines the awareness and concerns, behaviours, and perceptions of 2,511 Americans regarding lung health and COVID-19.
The survey findings revealed most respondents (63%) were most concerned about loved ones’ lung health since the coronavirus pandemic began. Nearly half (48%) of respondents were most concerned about their lung health. Those who responded to the survey as a smoker or vaper report being more motivated (43%) or equally motivated (45%) to quit smoking or vaping.
Source: PR Newswire, 7 April 2021
See also: American Lung Association - Media Summary: COVID-19 and Lung Health Survey Results ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )
** Parliamentary Activity
------------------------------------------------------------
**
------------------------------------------------------------
**
PQ1: Health Education
Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote health and wellbeing nationally.
Answered by Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care
In summer 2020 Public Health England launched the ‘Better Health’ programme with a television, radio and digital campaign to support the nation to take simple steps to look after their physical and mental health and wellbeing. Better Health is focused on a number of health behaviours including weight loss, physical activity, mental health and quitting smoking. It is targeted at those most at risk. The Better Health programme directs people to evidence-based online apps and tools to support them make and sustain changes to improve their health. This includes the National Health Service 12-week Weight Loss app, Couch to 5K, Mind Plan and Active 10.
Source: Hansard, 6 April 2021
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed] )
Have you been forwarded this email? Subscribe to ASH Daily News here. ([link removed])
For more information call 020 7404 0242, email
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk
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.
============================================================
Our mailing address is:
Action on Smoking and Health
Unit 2.9, The Foundry
17 Oval Way
London
SE11 5RR
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
