Millions being denied access to drug-free quit smoking service

An article in the Sunday Express today discusses the availability of the full quit smoking service recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)is a zip code lottery in the UK.

Millions of smokers across England are being denied access to a highly effective quit smoking treatment on the NHS – creating a stark “zip code lottery” in public health provision that risks widening already severe health inequalities.

Despite guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) stating that the leading non pharmaceutical method must be made available through local authority quit smoking services, access remains patchy and inconsistent across the country.

In total, a new analysis shows that 42 million people – 4.4 million of whom are current smokers – do not have access to the method.

The NICE guidance – part of its national recommendations on treating tobacco dependence – recognises Allen Carr’s Easyway (ACE) seminars as a clinically effective, cost-effective and cost saving intervention that should be made available to all smokers alongside other cessation options, such as traditional nicotine replacement therapies.

Independent trials show a success rate of over 40 per cent per cent after two years, with some studies showing it to be twice as effective as other methods.

A significant number of councils, including Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Kent, and some parts of London have rolled out the program.

But the first comprehensive analysis of local authority provision reveals dramatic regional disparities. Many areas have ignored the NICE guidance and failed to commission ACE services – effectively denying smokers access based solely on where they live.

Among the worst-affected areas are large urban authorities and regions with high smoking prevalence, and deprived areas where demand for effective cessation support is greatest – but provision remains absent. The services are also completely unavailable in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This means smokers in one zip code can access a drug-free, evidence-based intervention offering impressive long-term quit rates, while others are limited to less effective or less suitable options.

Allen Carr’s Easyway has helped more than 50 million people worldwide and has been endorsed by high-profile figures including Sir Richard Branson, Daniel Radcliffe and Michael McIntyre, who cite it with helping them to quit smoking. The approach consists of a one day group session, in-person or online, where people can smoke and vape all day, and focuses on removing the mental desire to smoke rather than relying on willpower and nicotine substitutes.

Millions credit the method with enabling them to quit smoking easily without medication, reinforcing its reputation as a mainstream, effective solution.

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in England, and experts warn that unequal access to effective quitting support will deepen health disparities between regions.

Paul Baker, Global CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway, said: “It is unacceptable that millions of smokers are being denied access to a recommended, drug-free, clinically proven method simply because of where they live. This zip code lottery is not only unfair – it is condemning people to continued addiction, preventable premature death and the devastating consequences that come with both.

“NICE specifically highlights the Allen Carr method as a cost-saving intervention, so why are some services still spending more money on less effective treatments?

“Every day that smokers are unable to access all NICE approved methods, more lives are put at risk from cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. Local authorities must act now to ensure equal access, or we will continue to see avoidable deaths on a massive scale.”

Yasmine Bendraz, a 27-year-old student who started smoking as a teenager, attended an online Allen Carr’s Easyway seminar paid for by Buckinghamshire Council.

Having tried previously to quit using nicotine patches and gum, e-cigarettes and willpower, she finally quit after going through the method. She said: “Stopping smoking with Allen Carr’s Easyway felt very different to using nicotine replacements in the past. Nicotine replacements made me feel like I was still relying on something and managing cravings, whereas Easyway changed how I viewed smoking and made me feel genuinely free from it. I think all postcodes should be covered because smoking affects people everywhere, and access to effective support should not depend on where someone lives.”