A new analysis reveals that 42 million people in England, including 4.4 million current smokers, do not have access to a clinically proven non-pharmaceutical stop smoking method, despite official guidance recommending its availability.
Patchy Provision Despite NICE Guidelines
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance stating that non-pharmaceutical methods must be provided through local authority stop smoking services. However, the first comprehensive analysis of local provision shows dramatic regional disparities, with many areas ignoring the guidance and failing to commission Allen Carr's Easyway (ACE) seminars.
ACE is recognized by NICE as a clinically effective, cost-effective, and cost-saving intervention, recommended alongside traditional nicotine replacement therapies.
Widespread Success and Endorsements
Allen Carr's Easyway has helped more than 50 million people worldwide and is endorsed by high-profile figures including Sir Richard Branson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Michael McIntyre. The method involves a one-day group session, either in-person or online, focusing on removing the mental desire to smoke rather than relying on willpower or nicotine substitutes.
Independent trials show a success rate of more than 40% after two years. Some councils, including Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lancashire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Kent, and parts of London, have rolled out the programme.
Health Inequalities Warning
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in England. Experts warn that unequal access to effective quitting support will deepen health disparities between regions.
Paul Baker, Global CEO of Allen Carr's Easyway, said: "It is unacceptable that millions of smokers are being denied access to a recommended, drug-free, clinically proven method simply because of where they live. This postcode lottery is not only unfair – it’s condemning people to continued addiction, preventable premature death and the devastating consequences that come with both."
He added: "NICE specifically highlights the Allen Carr method as a cost-saving intervention, so why are some services still spending more money on less effective treatments? Every day that smokers are unable to access all NICE approved methods, more lives are put at risk from cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. Local authorities must act now to ensure equal access, or we will continue to see avoidable deaths on a massive scale."
Personal Stories and Professional Support
Yasmine Bendraz, a 27-year-old student who started smoking as a teenager, attended an online seminar paid for by Buckinghamshire Council. After previously failing with nicotine patches, gum, e-cigarettes, and willpower, she finally quit. She said: "Stopping smoking with Allen Carr’s Easyway felt very different to using nicotine replacements in the past. Nicotine replacements made me feel like I was still relying on something and managing cravings, whereas Easyway changed how I viewed smoking and made me feel genuinely free from it. I think all postcodes should be covered because smoking affects people everywhere, and access to effective support should not depend on where someone lives."
Katherine Taylor, public health manager for Westmorland and Furness, which offers the therapy, said: "The outcomes have been fantastic. The rates are really, really high in terms of quit rates."
Dr Vishal Rao, a leading oncologist at the Institute of Public Health in Bangalore, said: "It's common to see smokers who have tried and failed to stop smoking several times with ‘quit sessions’ and other de-addiction techniques finally quit only after having the 'C word' enter their lives. Personally I am convinced that what smokers need is not nicotine replacement therapy but what I call nicotine displacement therapy. Allen Carr's Easyway To Stop Smoking programme delivers just this. The positive and intuitive approach utilised in this program makes the inclination to smoke quit the smoker."
