Success Rates of Stop Smoking Services in England
England’s stop smoking services have helped reduce smoking rates for 25 years. Using NHS data from 2025, Haypp’s interactive map reveals which local authorities are helping the most smokers quit, which stop-smoking aids are most effective, and how services are performing across England.
Key Takeaways
- England's stop smoking services achieved an average quit success rate of 52%.
- Wakefield recorded England's highest stop smoking success rate at 78%.
- Bradford reported England's lowest cost per successful quitter at £9.
- Telford and Wrekin recorded the highest cost per quitter nationally.
- Combining NRTs and nicotine vapes achieved the highest quit success rates.
Table of Contents
How Stop Smoking Services Help Smokers Quit
Local authorities across the UK work tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of their communities.
One way they do this is by providing Stop Smoking Services for local people who want to quit smoking. These services provide free expert advice, guidance, and support to help smokers quit.
Many of these services have had success in encouraging smokers to quit by switching to alternative nicotine products such as vapes or nicotine patches.
2025 marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of this vitally important service in England. Stop smoking services have played an important role in the decline in UK smoking rates, with adult smoking prevalence in England reducing from 26 per cent in 2000 to under 13 per cent in 2024.
Mapping the Path to a Smoke-Free England
At Haypp we want to recognise and support the important work local authorities do to help create a smoke-free future for the UK.
Using data from the NHS on the performance of local stop smoking services, we have created an interactive map to identify the local authorities in England that have had the greatest success in the fight against smoking.
This interactive map shows how local authorities are performing against a range of stop smoking metrics.
For example, you can see which authorities have been most successful at helping smokers quit, which areas have invested the most in stop smoking services, and which quit-smoking aids have been most effective.
The performance of stop smoking services has grown even more important in the context of new research from University College London that shows that after twenty years of decline, smoking rates are on the rise again in some areas of England.
The data used in this interactive map is updated regularly to give an up-to-date picture of the successes of stop smoking services in England.
The data currently being displayed covers the period from April 2025 to December 2025.
Which Local Authorities Have the Highest Success Rate?
The average success rate across all stop smoking services in England is 52%, which means that roughly one in two people who engaged and set a quit date were reported as quitting.
However, some services achieve considerably higher success. Between April 2025 and December 2025, Wakefield had the highest success rate at 78%. Wakefield also had the highest success rate last year at 77%.
- Wakefield (78%)
- Warrington (75%)
- Somerset (71%)
- Calderdale (71%)
- Barnsley (69%)
The Most Cost-Effective Stop Smoking Services
Bradford has reported an exceptionally low cost per quitter. Excluding the cost of stop-smoking aids, Bradford's cost per quitter was just £9, and the local authority supported 835 smokers to quit.
- Bradford (£9)
- Gateshead (£56)
- Herefordshire (£93)
- Essex (£107)
- Wandsworth (£141)
The Least Cost-Effective Stop Smoking Services
On the flip side, some local authorities spent significantly more per quitter, including Telford and Wrekin at £3419 per quitter, where just 117 people who set a quit date successfully quit.
- Telford and Wrekin (£3419)
- North East Lincolnshire (£2210)
- Kensington and Chelsea (£2069)
- Worcestershire (£1751)
- Brighton and Hove (£1693)
Ranking of Success Rates of Stop-Smoking Aids
People using both NRTs and nicotine vapes at the same time proved to be the most successful quitters when compared with those using other stop-smoking aids.
- NRT and nicotine vapes at the same time (58%)
- Varenicline only (58%)
- Single NRT only (56%)
- Combination of licensed NRTs concurrently (53%)
- Other stop smoking aid (53%)
- Other NRTs e.g. non-tobacco nicotine pouches (50%)
- Nicotine vapes only (49%)
- Bupropion only (48%)
- Cytisine only (46%)
- Did not use any licensed medication or unlicensed NRT (43%)
- Treatment option not recorded (39%)
The Difficulties of Quitting When Pregnant
There are many reasons why it may be more difficult for a pregnant smoker to quit. There may be additional psychological and social stresses on women during pregnancy.
Women may also be hesitant to use nicotine replacement therapies, preferring instead to try to go cold turkey, which can be even more challenging.
According to the NHS, 2024 saw the biggest annual fall in smoking during pregnancy since records began, so progress is being made. Incentives such as voucher schemes have also been shown to be effective in helping women to stop smoking during pregnancy.
The NHS provides specialised support and interventions for pregnant smokers. Clear and impartial information about nicotine replacement therapies, including vapes, would help women to make informed decisions about how NRTs could help them kick the habit for good.
