Health and wellbeing
Walsall’s stop smoking providers unite to boost quit attempts
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Stop smoking providers in Walsall have joined forces to boost quit attempts across the borough.
The Stop Smoking Provider Collaborative, set up by Walsall Council’s Public Health team, brings together public health, NHS partners and commissioned services to share best practice, strengthen collaboration and improve quit outcomes across Walsall.
The collaborative work comes at a crucial time, as 14.8% of adults in Walsall are current smokers, higher than both the national and regional averages.
Be Well Walsall, commissioned by Walsall Council’s Public Health team, has introduced access to varenicline, a prescribed medication which helps reduce cravings and eases withdrawal symptoms. Regulated vapes were also introduced by the service in March as an additional aid to quit. Expert support and treatment to help quit smoking is free to Walsall residents for 8 to 12 weeks. Over 1,000 smokers have set a quit date with the service during its second year of operation in Walsall, highlighting the growing demand for local stop smoking support.
Work has also included the launch of the stop smoking advice and support pathway at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Emergency Department (also commissioned by Public Health), which has referred over 350 patients to local stop smoking services as a whole since starting in July 2025.
Walsall is making encouraging progress in reducing smoking during pregnancy, with rates of smoking at the time of delivery falling from 8.9% in the previous year to 7.1% in 2024/25, meaning more expectant mothers are choosing a healthier start for their babies.
“ The Stop Smoking Provider Collaborative is a clear demonstration of our commitment to helping Walsall residents quit smoking. By bringing together all our providers, we’re increasing quit attempts, strengthening confidence in the services available and making it easier for residents to access support, whether that’s in the community, digitally or through NHS services. This work is especially timely as we support residents during Stoptober, a national campaign proven to increase quit success rates. Our providers are committed to a healthier Walsall and ready to welcome residents who want to take that first step towards a smoke-free future. “
Walsall residents can sign up to Be Well Walsall’s stop smoking service by visiting their website or calling 01922 444044. A health and wellbeing coach will then be in touch to discuss next steps.
Residents can also access Quit with Bella (fully funded by Walsall Council), which offers app provision from AI robo-coach Bella alongside support from a trained advisor, including a 12-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy or vapes. To sign up, visit the Solutions 4 Health website.
Specialist stop smoking support provided by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust includes the Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Service, where pregnant women and their partners can access support through the Walsall Health in Pregnancy Service. Advisors provide friendly behavioural support, nicotine replacement therapy and regulated vapes. Call 01922 270477 for more information or to refer.
For those currently in hospital, the Tobacco Dependency Service supports patients who smoke or have smoked within the previous 30 days. Trained staff work with inpatients to help them quit smoking and offer nicotine replacement therapy.
Outpatients and their companions who visit Walsall Manor Hospital’s Emergency Department can speak to trained staff to stop smoking, with an onward referral to a local service. To find out more, email wht.tdt@nhs.net.
Specialist support is also offered to inpatients receiving mental health support through Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
- For the latest data on smoking prevalence in Walsall, visit Smoking Profile - Data | Fingertips | Department of Health and Social Care.
- Additional funding has been made available by the government to support local authority-led stop smoking interventions. Funding is proportioned to the highest smoking prevalence, based on data from 2021–2023. This funding supports the government’s commitment to create a smoke-free generation, integral to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. For more details, visit GOV.UK.
- Varenicline is a medicine used to help stop smoking in adults. It reduces nicotine cravings and helps with withdrawal symptoms. It is only available as a prescription, which comes as tablets and is seen as a first choice stop smoking medication. Varenicline, along with expert support, can increase your chances of stopping smoking. One course of varenicline lasts 12 weeks. To find out more about Varenicline, visit the NHS website. Residents can only access varenicline as part of their stop smoking journey through a referral to Be Well Walsall.
- About regulated vapes - Evidence has shown that people who use vapes to quit smoking, as well as having one-to-one expert support, are more likely to succeed. While nicotine is addictive, the real danger of smoking comes from the thousands of other harmful chemicals in cigarettes. Nicotine replacement products (such as patches and gum) and vaping (while not risk free) offer a much safer way to get nicotine without inhaling tobacco smoke. The public health message for non-smokers, however, remains the same: if you don’t smoke, don’t vape. Those under 18 years old should not be vaping and it is illegal to sell or buy vapes for under 18s.
