About this action

Smoking is more prevalent in groups experiencing social disadvantage, yet these patients are less likely to complete standard cessation pathways. Flexible, culturally sensitive support—delivered through trusted professionals and tailored to the person’s context—can significantly increase quit rates and reduce inequalities in long-term conditions such as COPD, stroke and cancer. Smoking remains the single largest driver of health inequalities, with rates significantly higher in deprived communities and some ethnic groups. Generic cessation approaches often fail to address the specific contexts and stressors that maintain smoking in marginalised populations. Approaches to implementation: - Analyse smoking patterns in your Focus Patient groups to understand specific contexts - Partner with community organisations to deliver culturally sensitive smoking cessation support - Offer cessation support in trusted community settings - Acknowledge and address the role of smoking in managing stress from poverty, discrimination, and trauma - Offer flexible support that recognises the competing priorities in patients' lives - Train staff in trauma-informed approaches to behaviour change conversations Key benefits: Addresses the largest modifiable cause of health inequalities through approaches that work for those most affected, reduces the disproportionate burden of smoking-related disease in marginalised communities, and demonstrates understanding of why standard cessation approaches often fail vulnerable groups.