Smoking cessation

In 2018 Scottish Government released an action plan for raising a tobacco-free generation by 2034.

Part of realising this target is discouraging people from starting to smoke, and providing support to quit to existing smokers.

A number of factors, including age, sex, and where a person lives, can impact whether they smoke.

We are responsible for maintaining and developing the National Smoking Cessation Database.

We are also responsible for the national monitoring of NHS Stop Smoking services in Scotland - this uses the data collected by the national database.

The 2023 review of smoking cessation services in Scotland report highlighted that smoking continues to be the largest preventable cause of death.

Eight key areas were identified in the review.

They were:

• renewing focus within national and local leadership
• new targets for NHS boards around improving recruitment, retention and successful quits
• new targets for community pharmacies around improving recruitment, retention and successful quits
• improving the NHS 24 contribution to smoking cessation through additional channels
• improving the data and referral systems
• improving workforce skills
• promoting smoking cessation services
• further review focusing on e-cigarettes and vaping

Read the full review of smoking cessation services in Scotland.

The national smoking cessation guidelines include guidance for:

• health professionals
• smoking cessation co-ordinators and advisers

The guidelines offer advice on providing specialist or intensive services delivering brief interventions, including e-cigarettes.

Download the smoking cessation guidance and resources.

We estimated the impacts of smoking cessation services on health and health inequalities in our Informing Interventions to Reduce Health Inequalities (Triple I) project.

You can use the interactive tool to alter the number of individuals treated by smoking cessation services and the targeting strategy – for example to deprived areas – in order to estimate results for local areas as well as for Scotland.

We found that smoking cessation services could help to reduce health inequalities if targeted where most needed.

Go to the Triple I tool.

We provide a wide range of resources to help you deliver an effective and person-centred smoking cessation service.

These include booklets for the public on how to stop smoking and stopping smoking in pregnancy.

View all of our smoking publications.

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For more information, email phs.smokingcessation@phs.scot