Support for youngsters hooked on vapes is set to be incorporated into NHS services across the country.
Last year Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital opened the UK’s first and only pilot clinic for 11 to 15-year-olds addicted to e-cigs. And now the programme’s lead medic Prof Rachel Isba is working with other trusts to help more teens kick the habit.
She told us: “I am currently supporting colleagues across the UK to incorporate elements of the pilot clinic into their everyday practice and services to support children and young people following the completion of the pilot. These services might be within clinical services, drug and alcohol services or existing stop smoking services. Everyone is seeing this as an important issue.”
View 3 ImagesAlder Hey Children’s Hospital opened the UK’s first and only pilot clinic for 11 to 15-year-olds addicted to e-cigs(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Help offered could include nicotine replacement therapy, counselling and education around health and wellbeing. Prof Isba, a consultant in paediatric public health medicine, also hopes to help paediatricians have conversations about vaping as part of regular check-ups, and to involve other local services like safeguarding where appropriate.
The move comes as Monday marks a year since the government ban on disposable vapes came into force. The measure was introduced to protect children’s health and curb the growing environmental damage caused by millions of improperly discarded plastic devices and lithium-ion batteries.
But 12 months on, there is not yet clear evidence on whether the ban is having an impact on their use among young people. More than six million vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, according to research by recycling campaign group Material Focus. And there is a thriving black market worth an estimated £6 billion annually.
View 3 ImagesHelp offered could include nicotine replacement therapy, counselling and education around health and wellbeing(Image: Getty Images)
Around five to nine per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds currently vape, according to NHS surveys and Action on Smoking and Health data. And between 5.4 and 5.6 million adults puff too, making up about 10 per cent of over-18s.
For the first time, vapers now outnumber traditional cigarette smokers, who make up roughly 9.1 per cent of the population. Alder Hey’s vaping clinic was a pilot funded by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside to explore approaches to vaping cessation support for children and young people. The pilot has now ended and the hospital is exploring future funding options.