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Fewer people are using NHS stop smoking services or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to quit smoking, while the electronic cigarette market continues to grow, reveals new research. The number of people using NHS stop smoking services and setting a quit date in England dropped by 25 per cent between 2011/12 and 2013/14, according to a report by UCL School of Pharmacy, with the decline predicted to reach 50 per cent by next month. Meanwhile, new data from Mintel shows that the smoking cessation market fell by four per cent in 2014, while sales of e-cigarettes grew by the same percentage. Eighty-two per cent of vapers surveyed said that they used the devices to help them cut down on cigarettes.

The UCL report, Will Smoking Meet its Match?, blames reduced funding for stop smoking services since the NHS reshuffle for the drop in quitters, along with mixed messages about the benefits of e-cigarettes. UCL director of tobacco studies Professor Robert West said: €Statistically, the stop smoking services offer the best chances of success and if I were a smoker, I would try these first. However, if smokers do not want to do that, electronic cigarettes clearly have a role to play.€