London Smoking and Mental Health Week webinar 4 June 2025
New Webinar Recording: Tackling Smoking and Mental Health Inequalities
London Smoking and Mental Health Week webinar 4 June 2025
Powerful insights from leading experts on why treating tobacco dependency is a critical way to reduce health inequalities - and how the NHS and partners are making progress.
A powerful conversation with leading experts on why treating tobacco dependency remains one of the most effective ways to tackle health inequalities, especially for people living with mental health conditions.
In our recent webinar, now available to watch online, we heard from public health leaders, clinicians as well as professionals working in psychiatry and academia about the urgent need to embed tobacco treatment in routine mental health care, the progress being made in London and the work still to be done.
Watch the full recording on YouTube
Key takeaways from the webinar
The challenge
- Smoking still reduces life expectancy by an average of 10 years
- In London alone, it contributes to an estimated nine million lost life years
- People with mental ill health are twice as likely to smoke, often more heavily and from a younger age
- Tackling tobacco dependence is critical to closing health gaps
Progress so far
- Quit rates in NHS Mental Health Trusts have reached 45%, proving that people with severe mental illness can and do want to quit
- 3 in 4 Mental Health Trusts now offer stop smoking support — a major step forward, though consistency still varies
What’s working
- Success comes from access, choice and personalisation — whether that’s with e-cigarettes, varenicline, cytisine, NRT, or behavioural support
- Ongoing staff education is key to busting the myth that smoking reduces stress
- Embedding tobacco conversations into routine mental health care makes a difference
Real-life impact
- As shared by Ray McGrath (SLAM), going smokefree is achievable — and sustaining it after discharge is possible
- Over 30% of patients supported to quit remain smokefree after their hospital stay
- Listening to patients and offering evidence-based tools matters
- Focus is now turning to how we support people in community settings
What’s next
- The upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will bring new opportunities and challenges
- It’s vital that future policy continues to support quit attempts, particularly through vaping where appropriate
Our thanks to the speakers:
- Dr Ed Beveridge
- Prof Kevin Fenton CBE
- Dr Sanjay Agrawal
- John Waldron
- Debbie Robson
- Ray McGrath
- Dr Gemma Taylor
Read more: ASH Report – Smoking in Mental Health Trusts
