Service to help young people stop vaping and smoking

A new service is being launched in secondary schools in Derbyshire to help young people stop vaping and smoking.

"Vibe" will provide confidential support, one-to-one coaching, quit planning, behaviour change support and nicotine replacement therapy to students aged 12-18 who agree to be referred to the service.

The launch comes amid ongoing concerns about youth vaping, with an estimated 3,000 Derbyshire pupils vaping regularly and about 750 smoking regularly, according to the county council.

Dan Price, cabinet member for communities and safety, said the service will help Derbyshire become "smoke-free by 2030".

Funded by Derbyshire County Council's public health team and delivered by Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, Vibe will be initially available to 10 secondary schools.

"Too many young people are becoming addicted to nicotine through smoking or vaping, often without fully understanding the impact it can have on their health and wellbeing," Price said.

"Vibe is the first service of its kind in Derbyshire and will give young people the practical support, encouragement and confidence they need to quit.

"By providing specialist support directly in schools, we can reach young people early, help prevent long-term harm and support our ambition for Derbyshire to become smoke-free by 2030."

Bek Byron, a Derbyshire specialist community public health nurse, who is leading the Vibe project, said: "We are excited to launch Vibe and offer young people an approachable, accessible and confidential service to help them stop smoking or vaping.

"We understand that quitting can be challenging, which is why Vibe provides personalised support, encouragement and practical tools to help young people succeed.

"Our aim is to empower young people to make positive choices for their health and wellbeing and support them [on] every step of their quit journey. Even if a young person isn't ready to quit yet, they can come to us and talk about their options and how we can support them."

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