Compliance with Mandatory Smoking Cessation Provisions (NICE NG209, Feb 2025 Update)
Case reference FOI2026/01885
Received 7 August 2026
Published 26 August 2026
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting information regarding Herefordshire Council's compliance with the NICE Guideline NG209 (Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence), specifically the mandatory requirements updated in February 2025.
The February 2025 update stipulates that local stop smoking services "must ensure" that a comprehensive range of evidence-based interventions are accessible to adults who smoke. This includes four primary pillars of cessation: behavioral support, medicinally licensed products (including Cytisinicline), nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, and specific cost-effective behavioral programs.
In light of these mandatory "must" requirements, please provide the following:
1) Service Accessibility Audit:
Please provide any internal audit or compliance report conducted following the February 2025 update to ensure the Council is meeting its mandatory obligation to provide a full range of accessible cessation methods.
2) Evidence for Exclusion of ACE:
NICE recommendation 1.12.10 specifically identifies Allen Carr’s Easyway (ACE) in-person group seminars as a cost-effective behavioral intervention. Given the Council's mandate to "must ensure" accessible behavioral support, please provide the evidence-based justification for excluding the ACE method from your current service menu.
3) Comparison of Behavioral Options:
Please provide any recorded information held by the Council that compares the quit-success rates and cost-effectiveness of your currently commissioned behavioural support providers against the data for Allen Carr’s Easyway as cited in the NICE NG209 evidence reviews.
4) Commissioning Gap Analysis:
Please provide any documentation showing how the Council has addressed the "must" requirement for choice and accessibility if only one form of behavioral support (e.g., 1-on-1 coaching) is currently offered to the exclusion of group-based seminars like ACE.
5) Future Procurement Timelines:
If the current exclusion of ACE is due to existing contract cycles, please provide the date when the smoking cessation service contract is next due for tender and whether the 2025 NICE "must" requirements have been integrated into the new specification.
Response
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting information regarding Herefordshire Council's compliance with the NICE Guideline NG209 (Tobacco: preventing uptake, promoting quitting and treating dependence), specifically the mandatory requirements updated in February 2025.
The February 2025 update stipulates that local stop smoking services "must ensure" that a comprehensive range of evidence-based interventions are accessible to adults who smoke. This includes four primary pillars of cessation: behavioral support, medicinally licensed products (including Cytisinicline), nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, and specific cost-effective behavioral programs.
In light of these mandatory "must" requirements, please provide the following:
1) Service Accessibility Audit:
Please provide any internal audit or compliance report conducted following the February 2025 update to ensure the Council is meeting its mandatory obligation to provide a full range of accessible cessation methods.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised the Council does not hold a specific internal audit or compliance report conducted following the February 2025 update that assesses local smoking cessation provision against the individual requirements of NICE Guideline NG209. (Undertaking a detailed internal clinical audit is not a statutory requirement).
Please note that NICE Guideline NG209 provides recommendations and best practice guidance. NICE guidance is not mandatory for local authorities and does not create statutory obligations on councils to commission or provide specific services or interventions.
2) Evidence for Exclusion of ACE:
NICE recommendation 1.12.10 specifically identifies Allen Carr’s Easyway (ACE) in-person group seminars as a cost-effective behavioral intervention. Given the Council's mandate to "must ensure" accessible behavioral support, please provide the evidence-based justification for excluding the ACE method from your current service menu.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised the Council does not hold information identifying a specific evidence-based assessment or decision document relating to the exclusion of Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) in-person group seminars from the current commissioned stop smoking service.
3) Comparison of Behavioral Options:
Please provide any recorded information held by the Council that compares the quit-success rates and cost-effectiveness of your currently commissioned behavioural support providers against the data for Allen Carr’s Easyway as cited in the NICE NG209 evidence reviews.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised the Council does not hold any recorded information comparing the quit-success rates or cost-effectiveness of its currently commissioned behavioural support services against Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE).
4) Commissioning Gap Analysis:
Please provide any documentation showing how the Council has addressed the "must" requirement for choice and accessibility if only one form of behavioral support (e.g., 1-on-1 coaching) is currently offered to the exclusion of group-based seminars like ACE.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised the Council's current commissioned smoking cessation service provides access to evidence-based behavioural support and treatment options, through its local stop smoking service. This is provided at various locations across the county, via a variety of different delivery methods recognising the rurality of the county and the different needs of the population. Delivery methods include:
· Face to face, one-to-one or group, behavioural support.
· Telephone behavioural support.
· Access to the Smoke Free App, which provides structured, evidence-based behavioural support through a digital platform based on recognised smoking cessation approaches.
· Very Brief Advice training to colleagues in partner organisations
The Council considers that the availability of both practitioner-led and digital behavioural support provides residents with a choice of evidence-based smoking cessation interventions and supports accessibility by enabling individuals to access support through different delivery methods.
The Council considers that the provision of these services enables it to meet its public health responsibilities in relation to smoking cessation support. The Council is not aware of any statutory requirement to commission every intervention listed within NICE NG209, provided that an effective and accessible stop smoking service is available to residents, and therefore has not undertaken a commissioning gap analysis.
5) Future Procurement Timelines:
If the current exclusion of ACE is due to existing contract cycles, please provide the date when the smoking cessation service contract is next due for tender and whether the 2025 NICE "must" requirements have been integrated into the new specification.
Answer: This information is not held. The Service Area have advised the Council does not hold any recorded information indicating that Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) has been excluded from the commissioned smoking cessation service because of existing contract cycles. Accordingly, the Council does not hold any recorded information linking the availability of ACE to the timing of future procurement or re-tendering arrangements.
The Council's smoking cessation service currently provides access to evidence-based behavioural support and treatment options through its commissioned service model. The absence of ACE from the current service offer is not attributable to existing contract cycles.
Documents
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