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Helping smokers kick the habit
11/12/2007
Health boards will benefit in a share of £11 million a year funding to help smokers quit.
Minister for Public Health Shona Robison made the announcement at Scotland's first ever smoking cessation conference.
Speaking at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow, Ms Robison said:
"Great strides have already been made in reducing the numbers of smokers in Scotland in recent years, and creating an environment which supports people to give up by introducing the smoking ban.
"However, there is no room for complacency as more work remains to be done to reduce smoking rates, especially in young people.
"That is why I am delighted today to be able to announce that the Scottish Government will continue to make £11 million a year available to support smoking cessation services.
"I am confident that this funding will allow boards to continue existing services and develop new ones, particularly in deprived areas.
"I realise that it is a challenging task to take services out from traditional settings to more accessible places such as workplaces and social clubs, but I am confident that health boards and cessation workers can rise to this challenge."
The funding for 2008-09 will be:
Health Board
- Ayrshire & Arran - 542,000
- Borders - 170,000
- Dumfries and Galloway -231,000
- Fife- 462,000
- Forth Valley- 373,000
- Grampian - 597,000
- Greater Glasgow - 2,569,000
- Highland- 455,000
- Lanarkshire - 1,147,000
- Lothian - 1,311,000
- Orkney- 53,000
- Shetland -59,000
- Tayside- 949,000
- Western Isles -82,000
Total - 9,000,000
The above includes £2 million allocated to the Keep Well projects in Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside Health Boards.
An additional £2 million is contained within NHS boards' general funding allocations, bringing the total available for smoking cessation support to £11 million in 2008-09.