RESEARCH by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has laid bare the shocking impact of smoking related illness on the social care system.

Ill health related to smoking is costing health and social care services more than £100 million each year in the South West, according to analyses of national datasets carried out by the charity.

In Cornwall, more than 900 people aged 50 and over are receiving social care in their own home for health needs related to smoking, costing the local authority £6.8million each year. And the charity says that a further £6.1 million is being spent on residential social care for adults aged 50 and over because they have smoking-attributable needs. ASH estimates that there are also almost 12,000 people in Cornwall receiving unpaid care from family and friends for health needs that are attributable to smoking. If that care were to be purchased from formal sources, it would cost society an additional £89 million.

And there are almost 5,000 individuals in the county who need care due to smoking-related illness, but who are not receiving it from anywhere.

ASH says that tobacco companies ought to be paying out for the support needed to help people give up smoking.

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 those who have never smoked. 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.

Deborah Arnott, ASH Chief Executive, 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.”