Smoking costs Wiltshire Council £9.2 million in social care costs every year
Hundreds of people needing care at home or in a residential setting
New analyses of data funded by the public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows that ill health caused by smoking has a substantial impact on the social care needs and costs across Wiltshire.
Around 650 people are estimated to be receiving care support in their home because they are unable to care for themselves due to smoking related illness.
This alone costs Wiltshire Council in the region £4.8 million every year, with another £4.3 million spent on residential social care to meet smoking caused needs
Smoking is the leading cause of premature death in England, killing 74,600 people in 2019 alone.
However, smoking is also a leading cause of preventable illness - for every person killed by smoking, at least another 30 are estimated to be living with serious smoking-related disease and disability.
ASH analysis found that, on average, smokers in England need care when they are 63 years old, ten years earlier than never-smokers, and still of working age
Around 1.5 million people in England are estimated to need help with everyday tasks such as dressing, walking across a room and using the toilet due to smoking.
However, the significant sums spent by councils across Wiltshire on social care needs caused by smoking each year, are not enough.
Around 8,400 people in Wiltshire are estimated to be receiving care from unpaid carers such as friends and family, while a further 3,400 people have care needs which are not met by paid or unpaid care
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said:
"Smoking has a devastating impact on our communities far beyond the tens of thousands of lives it takes every year. It profoundly undermines the quality of many people's lives, often placing heavy demands on family and friends."
"Securing the Government's vision of a smokefree country by 2030 will make all the difference. It will ease pressure on the social care system and build resilience in our communities, enabling people to live longer, healthier lives."
"Local authorities have a key role to play in ending smoking, but they cannot do it without additional funding. ASH backs calls on the government to introduce a 'polluter pays' levy on tobacco manufacturers to pay for the support needed to end smoking in this country."
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