July 2025
Welcome to our July edition of the Smokefree Devon Alliance Newsletter!
To help residents of Devon break-free from nicotine addiction, a premium version of a highly rated app is being offered to those who want to kick the habit for good.
Individuals can get six months of free premium access to the Smoke Free app, unlocking the top level of personalised support.
Quitting smoking can be one of the hardest challenges a person can face, but with the right tools and support, it’s absolutely achievable.
The app offers personalised plans, motivational content, and a supportive community to help users stay on track.
Users will be able to experience the following features within the app:
• One-to-one support from expert advisors available 24 hrs a day.
• Stop smoking clinics that take place four times a day.
• Chat to experienced advisors.
• Calculate time and money saved from staying smoke free.
• Celebrate health improvements and milestones reached.
• More than 90 badges to earn and collect.
This cutting-edge mobile app that is designed to make quitting smoker easier can help individuals retain an average of 20 minutes of their life for each cigarette they resist to smoke.
A user will be invited to enter their details, including their postcode. Once a qualifying Devon (excl. Plymouth and Torbay (coming soon!)) postcode is provided, they can create an account and get started on their Smoke Free journey straightaway.
Now is a perfect time to take advantage of this offer and embark on a smoke-free journey.
If you are looking for local, face to face support to quit, Stop for Life Devon offers a free, tailored programme supporting residents to quit, including a ‘swap to stop’ scheme where smokers can switch from tobacco to vaping.
To find out more visit: Smoke Free App - Smokefree Alliance Devon
Tobacco & Vapes Bill Update 2025
The bill passed its three readings in the House of Commons between November 2024 and March 2025. If approved in the House of Lords, the age restrictions on tobacco sales will take effect on 1 January 2027. It is currently in the committee stage at the House of Lords. Additional rules and details will be determined later through further legislation.
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Since 1 June 2025, it is illegal to sell, supply or possess for sale or supply any single-use (disposable) vapes, including non-nicotine versions. This applies to all retailers – including high street and online – as well as healthcare and stop smoking services. From now on, any vapes legally on sale in Britain must be rechargeable, refillable, and have a coil that can be easily replaced. Any vape which does not meet these standards – for example a vape that is rechargeable but not refillable – will be illegal. For more information visit: The 2025 Disposable Vapes Ban: What You Need to Know - ASH |
Now that Varenicline is available again, many people want to use it to help them quit smoking—alongside other aids like Cytisine and vapes. But some have struggled to get hold of it, so efforts are underway to fix this.
Soon, a new service will allow GPs in Devon and Torbay to prescribe Varenicline, Cytisine, or Bupropion to patients using stop smoking support from local pharmacies or services like Stop for Life Devon and Your Health Torbay. GPs will be paid for prescribing these medicines through this service.
Also, local health teams—including Devon ICB, Community Pharmacy Devon, and Public Health—are working on a plan to let community pharmacies give Varenicline directly to patients under a special guideline (called a PGD). The goal is to make it easier for people in Devon and Torbay to get stop smoking treatments and help more people quit for good.
Every six days, someone in the UK loses their life in a house fire started by a cigarette. It's a sobering fact, and it highlights a critical but often overlooked danger: smoking is the most common cause of fatal fires in the home. In fact, one in five fire-related deaths are due to smoking.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service responds to around 40 smoking-related house fires each year. These fires tend to be more dangerous and more deadly than any other kind. Whether you smoke cigarettes, cigars, or vapes, it’s vital to understand the risks — and how to reduce them.
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Keeping safe while smoking
The safest choice is simple: smoke outside. Not only does this lower your fire risk, but it also makes your home cleaner and healthier for everyone in it.
If you do smoke indoors, be extra careful:
- Avoid smoking in bed – falling asleep with a lit cigarette is one of the leading causes of fatal fires. Also, be more conscious if you use medical moisturisers, as these creams are extremely flammable and can absorb into clothing and bedding.
- Always extinguish cigarettes properly – make sure they’re fully out before walking away.
- Don’t leave smoking materials unattended – they can tip over or ignite nearby items.
- Use a stable ashtray – choose one that won’t tip and isn’t flammable.
- Empty ashtrays safely – wet the contents before binning them outside. Never use indoor bins for hot ash.
- Keep lighters and matches away from children – child-resistant versions are available and worth using.
E-cigarettes and vapes:
Vaping might reduce some health risks compared to smoking, but it comes with its own fire hazards. Faulty or counterfeit devices can cause serious fires.
Here’s what to check before buying or using a vape:
- Matching voltage – the charger and battery should be rated for the same output.
- Clear branding – make sure it includes a manufacturer’s name, logo, model, and batch number.
- CE mark – look for it but be cautious; it can be faked.
- UKCA mark – is used to demonstrate compliance with UK safety regulations. Vapes should have both the CE and UKCA mark.
- Safety instructions – the product should come with clear guidance on use and disposal.
- Disposal – never throw vapes or batteries in household waste. Follow proper recycling procedures.
- Avoid fakes – cheap, unbranded products might not meet safety standards.
What to do in the event of a fire
Get out immediately – close doors behind you to slow the spread.
Stay out – don’t go back inside for any reason.
Call 999 – ask for the fire service right away.
For more fire safety tips or help with making your home safer, visit www.dsfire.gov.uk and search ‘smoking’.
Smoking at time of delivery (SATOD) rate at Torbay & South Devon NHS Trust was 5.5% for year 2024/25, falling below the national aim of 6% for the first time.
Launched in 2022, the in-house Smokefree Pregnancy service at Torbay & South Devon NHS Trust provides face-to-face and virtual support in antenatal clinics, providing NRT and vapes, with support from the Swap to Stop programme.
In February 2025, the National Smokefree Pregnancy Incentive Scheme was launched, offering additional stop smoking support. So far 45 women have signed up and 99% are engaged in an ongoing quit attempt.
The service have also secured a charity grant, allowing them to produce a film about the service, where women who have received support talk on camera and share their stories. You can watch the short film here: Smokefree Pregnancy Service - Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
The national Swap to Stop scheme has officially been extended until March 2026. "Swap to Stop" is a programme designed to help smokers switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes (vapes) as a way to quit smoking. The programme, introduced in 2023, provides free vape starter kits and support to smokers in England, aiming to reduce smoking rates to less than 5% by 2030.
To find out more about Swap to Stop, visit: Swap to Stop - Smokefree Alliance Devon
Stop for Life Devon have some upcoming training courses:
In-Person Level 2 Smoking Cessation Practitioner Training:
30th September 2025, 9am-5pm @ Cullompton Library
Online Smoking Cessation Practitioner Refresher Training:
9th September 2025, 10am - 12:30pm
12th November 2025,10am - 12:30pm
Online Vape Awareness Training:
4th September 2025, 10am - 11:30am
For more information and to book onto a course, visit Community Training | Devon County Council Stop Smoking Service Provided by Best You
Smokefree Devon Alliance Website
We are reviewing and updating our website to improve it as a source for professionals. Welcome to Smokefree Devon - Smokefree Alliance Devon
Any comments on how the website could be improved are welcome please send comments to publichealth-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
The newsletters will be shared on our www.smokefreedevon.org.uk/ website to be accessible to all in the future - Alliance Newsletter - Smokefree Alliance Devon
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