Smoking support is “excellent” in areas where it is most needed

Primary care trusts in deprived areas of England and Wales have been very good at providing tobacco control services and supporting their populations in reducing smoking, a new review from the Healthcare Commission says.

The commission, which inspects the quality of health care and public health in England and Wales, reports that almost half of the primary care trusts it rated as “excellent” in providing antismoking services were in the most deprived areas (as defined by an index of multiple deprivation). In contrast, only 20% of trusts in affluent areas were “excellent.”

Primary care trusts in more northerly regions and …