Smoking JSNA

The following information is a summary of key findings from this information when viewed in 2025.

NHS Local Stop Smoking Services Data set

Data for financial year April 2024 to March 2025 (not a full year of data):

Hartlepool’s stop smoking service activity shows mixed performance compared with regional and national benchmarks. The referral rate (6,540 per 100,000) was higher than England but below the North East average. The rate of people setting a quit date (4,968) was lower than the region but higher than England. However, successful quits showed weaker outcomes: self‑reported successful quitting in Hartlepool (1,435 per 100,000) was lower than both the North East and England, while CO‑validated quit rates (937 per 100,000) were higher than England but still below the regional rate. Overall quit success in Hartlepool was 29% (26% for men and 32% for women), significantly lower than both regional and national averages, although a relatively high proportion of those who reported quitting were CO‑validated (65% overall).

By age, Hartlepool recorded lower rates of successful quitting than both regional and national comparators across all adult age groups, despite consistently higher CO‑validation proportions, particularly among 18–34 year olds (80%). More than half of service users did not quit (53% overall), with slightly poorer outcomes for women than men. Service use was predominantly among people of White ethnicity. By socioeconomic group, the highest quit‑date setting rates were seen among people who were unemployed long‑term, sick or disabled, or retired, though success rates within these groups varied and were generally modest where reported.

Intervention effectiveness varied notably. Combination in‑person and remote multi‑session support achieved the highest self‑reported success (42%), followed by telephone support (36%) and one‑to‑one support (24%). Quit rates were also higher where combined cessation aids were used, particularly concurrent use of nicotine vapes with NRT (40%) or multiple licensed NRTs (38%), compared with single NRT (24%) or vapes alone (18%). Overall, while Hartlepool demonstrates strong validation and effective intervention models, quit success rates remain lower than regional and national averages, indicating scope to improve outcomes and reduce failed quit attempts.

The Department of Health and Social Care's Fingertips tool has a Smoking profile, the following is a summary of the data found within the profile:

Smoking prevalence in Hartlepool remains consistently higher than both the North East and national averages across most data sources, including the Annual Population Survey (APS) and GP Patient Survey (GPPS). Data from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) shows a declining trend in adult smoking prevalence locally, mirroring regional and national patterns. In 2022/23, 18.4% of patients aged 15 and over in Hartlepool were recorded as current smokers, representing a 2.8 percentage point reduction over five years. Despite this improvement, the proportion remains higher than England overall and above the regional average.

APS data also indicates a reduction in adult smoking prevalence, with 13.5% of residents aged 18 and over in Hartlepool identified as current smokers in 2023. This is notably higher than both the North East (11.0%) and England (11.6%). Encouragingly, Hartlepool performs relatively well in terms of smoking cessation, with the proportion of ex-smokers ranking within the highest 75% of local authorities. In 2023, 32.1% of adults in Hartlepool were ex-smokers, exceeding both regional and national figures.

However, the proportion of adults who have never smoked is comparatively low in Hartlepool. APS data shows that only 54.4% of adults were never smokers in 2023, substantially lower than the North East (62.0%) and England (63.3%), placing Hartlepool in the lowest quartile nationally. It should be noted that both APS and GPPS data have limitations, as they rely on survey responses and GP record quality, which may affect reliability. Overall, while smoking prevalence is declining and quit rates are comparatively strong, Hartlepool continues to experience higher smoking levels and a smaller pool of never smokers than regional and national averages.

Vaping prevalence

The Smokefree GB analysis conducted by ASH is based on data collected by YouGov for ASH. The proportion of the population who vaped in 2024 was 11%, the highest rate recorded, equal to 5.6 million adults in Great Britain. More than half (53%) of current vapers are ex-smokers, equal to 3 million people. This proportion peaked in 2021 at 65%5.

Priority Populations

Smoking during pregnancy in Hartlepool continues to decline but remains a key area of concern. In 2023/24, 10.6% of women were recorded as smoking at the time of delivery, a rate consistently higher than both the North East and England averages. Although the long‑term trend shows improvement, Hartlepool has persistently exceeded the national level, indicating ongoing inequalities in maternal smoking outcomes.

Smoking prevalence also remains disproportionately high among priority groups. Among adults aged 18–64 in routine and manual occupations, prevalence fell to 21.4% by 2023, reflecting a downward trend since 2012 but still remaining above regional and national averages and fluctuating around the national trend line. In addition, smoking prevalence among adults with long‑term mental health conditions increased to 27.2% in 2022/23, was higher than the North East average, and has exceeded regional levels for most of the past five years, highlighting the need for targeted smoking cessation support for vulnerable populations.

Mortality

• The mortality rate from lung cancer (all ages) in 2021 – 2023 was 74.3 per 100,000 higher than the North East (65.2) and England (47.5). The rate in Hartlepool has been consistently higher than the national average and has been increasing since 2019-21.
• The mortality rate from COPD (all ages) in 2021 – 2023 was 75.4 per 100,000 higher than the North East (59.0) and England (43.9). This has been consistently higher than the national average and has increased between 2020-22 (65.2 per 100,000) and 2021-23.
• The mortality rate from oral cancer in 2020 – 2022 was 7.8 per 1,000 higher than the North East (5.7) and England (5.2). This has been consistently higher than the national average and has not followed national trends. There has been a recent decrease between 2018-20 (9.0 per 100,000) and 2020-22.

Smoking related ill health

Hartlepool continues to experience poorer outcomes than regional and national averages across a range of smoking‑related maternal and health indicators, despite some recent improvements. Premature births (before 37 weeks) remained higher in Hartlepool than both the North East and England in 2020–2022, although rates have declined since 2016–18 and have fluctuated around the national average over time. Low birth weight among term babies has also fallen since 2018, reaching around 2.7% in 2022, broadly comparable with regional and national levels but with Hartlepool more often recording higher rates than England historically.

Smoking‑related cancers remain a significant burden locally. Lung cancer registration rates in Hartlepool were higher than both regional and national averages in 2017–2019 and, while declining since 2014–16, have consistently exceeded the England rate since data became available. Similarly, oral cancer rates were higher than the North East and England and have continued to rise since 2010–12, in line with national trends but at a higher level locally. Oesophageal cancer registrations also exceeded both regional and national averages, despite a recent downward trend.

Chronic respiratory disease continues to place pressure on health services in Hartlepool. Emergency hospital admissions for COPD among those aged 35 and over were substantially higher than regional and national rates in 2023/24 and have remained consistently above England averages. Although there was a temporary dip during the COVID‑19 pandemic, admissions have since increased, reinforcing the ongoing impact of smoking‑related harm on population health in Hartlepool.