Cessation targets

Latest statistics - 27 September 2011

The smoking cessation HEAT target for 2008/09 to 2010/11 was to achieve 83,975 successful quit attempts at one month, across NHS smoking cessation services in Scotland. The 89,075 quits achieved exceeds the target number by 5,100 or 6.1%.
Scottish Health Survey 2010, Scottish Government, Main Report, Chapter 4 - Smoking.  Available from: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/09/27084018/32 [Accessed 27 September 2011]

Monitoring performance

Health Efficiency Access and Treatment (HEAT) targets are a core set of measures, targets and objectives for the NHS.  HEAT targets are set by the Scottish Government for a three year period.  Progress towards HEAT targets are measured through the Local Delivery Plan process, individual to each health board.
The Scottish Government monitors performance against National Indicators.  Several smoking related targets are included in these National indicators.
(Scottish Government Scotland Performs [online].  Available fromhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/scotPerforms/indicators [accessed 2nd June 2008])

The Scottish Public Health White Paper in 1999 published initial targets for smoking reduction in target groups, set by the Scottish Executive.  These were reviewed and in some cases further reduced in the Scottish Executive's 2004 Tobacco Control Action Plan.  The Scottish Government's Smoking Prevention Action Plan set out new targets in 2008.

(see: Scottish Government Scotland's future is smoke-free: a smoking prevention action plan [online] Edinburgh: The Stationery Office 2008.  Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/13 [accessed 28 May 2008])

The current targets for Scotland are as follows:

Smoking amongst adults

  • Reduce the percentage of adults aged 16+ smoking to 22% by 2010; this is a National Indicator and performance against this objective is tracked by the Scottish Government.

(Scottish Government Scotland Performs - National Indicators: Reduce the percentage of the adult population who smoke to 22% by 2010 [online].  Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/scotPerforms/indicators/reduceSmoking [accessed 9 October 2009])

  • The Scottish Government has set a target to achieve agreed reductions in the rates of hospital admissions and bed days of patients with primary diagnosis of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Asthma, Diabetes or Coronary Heart Disease, from 2006/7 to 2010/11.
(Scottish Government NHSScotland performance targets - Treatment[online].  Available from   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/17273/targets/Treat [accessed 9 October 2008])

Smoking cessation services

  • NHSScotland to deliver universal smoking cessation services to achieve at least 80,000 successful quits (at one month post quit) including 48,000 in the 40% most-deprived within-Board SIMD areas over the three years ending March 2014.

NHS Scotland performance targets - Health Improvement 2011/12
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/17273/targets/Health [Accessed 14 July 2011]

  • NHS Boards have a target to support 8% of their smoking population to quit successfully (at one month post-quit) by the end of 2010/11.
(Scottish Government NHSScotland performance targets - Health Improvement [online].  Available from   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/17273/targets/Health [accessed 9 October 2008])

Health inequalities

  • NHSScotland to deliver universal smoking cessation services to achieve at least 80,000 successful quits (at one month post quit) including 48,000 in the 40% most-deprived within-Board SIMD areas over the three years ending March 2014.

NHS Scotland performance targets - Health Improvement 2011/12
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/NHS-Scotland/17273/targets/Health [Accessed 14 July 2011]

  • Increase healthy life expectancy at birth in the most deprived 15% of areas in Scotland; this is a National Indicator and performance against this objective is tracked by the Scottish Government.
(Scottish Government Scotland Performs - National Indicators: Increase healthy life expectancy at birth in the most deprived areas [online].  Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/scotPerforms/indicators/lifeExpectancy[accessed 9 October 2009])
  • Reduce health inequalities by reducing the rate of mortality for Coronary Heart Disease amongst under 75s in the most deprived 15% of areas in Scotland; this is a National Indicator and performance against this objective is tracked by the Scottish Government.
(Scottish Government Scotland Performs - National Indicators: Reduce mortality from coronary heart disease among the under 75s in deprived areas [online].  Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/scotPerforms/indicators/heartDisease[accessed 9 October 2009])

Smoking amongst young people -  to reduce the level of smoking amongst:

  • 13 year old girls from 5% in 2006 to 3% in 2014
  • 13 year old boys from 3% in 2006 to 2% in 2014
  • 15 year old girls from 18% in 2006 to 14% in 2014
  • 15 year old boys from 12% in 2006 to 9% in 2014

Scottish Government - Tobacco, co-ordination and measuring progress
Available from: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Tobacco/MeasuringProgress
[Accessed 14 july 2011]

  • The Scottish Government aims to reduce the level of 15 year old regular smokers who buy cigarettes from shops to to 50% by 2010.
(Scottish Government Protection and controls: Scottish Age-restricted Sales Enforcement Working Group [online]. Available from:   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Tobacco/Protection[accessed 04 December 2009])
  • The Scottish Government aims to reduce the level of smoking amongst 16 to 24 year olds from 26.5% in 2006 to 22.9% in 2012.
(Scottish Government Scotland's future is smoke-free: a smoking prevention action plan [online] Edinburgh: The Stationery Office 2008.  Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/13 [accessed 28 May 2008])

Tobacco sales enforcement

  • Minimum 10% per annum of tobacco retailers subject to test purchase
(Scottish Government Protection and controls: Scottish Age-restricted Sales Enforcement Working Group [online]. Available from:   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Tobacco/Protection[accessed 04 December 2009])
  • Minimum 20% per annum of tobacco retailers visited to provide advice and support
(Scottish Government Protection and controls: Scottish Age-restricted Sales Enforcement Working Group [online]. Available from:   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Tobacco/Protection[accessed 04 December 2009])
  • Each local authority to consider the extent to which it is appropriate for them to carry out in their area a programme of enforcement action relating to sale of tobacco to young persons at least once in every period of twelve months
(Scottish Government Protection and controls: Scottish Age-restricted Sales Enforcement Working Group [online]. Available from:   http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/Tobacco/Protection[accessed 04 December 2009])

Scottish local government targets

Indicators for Scottish local government have been agreed by the Single Outcome Agreement Group.  The group is comprised of Audit Scotland, COSLA, the Scottish Government, the Improvement Service and Solace.
  • Indicator 10 - decrease the proportion of individuals living in poverty
  • Indicator 16 - increase healthy life expectancy at birth in the most deprived areas
  • Indicator 17 - reduce the percentage of the adult population who smoke to 22% by 2010
  • Indicator 21 - reduce mortality from coronary heart disease among the under 75s in deprived areas
(Single Outcome Agreement Group Single Outcome Agreements: guidance, format and indicators for Scottish local government [online] 2008. Available from
http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,0/task,doc_download/gid,1723/[accessed 30 April 2008])