Most health boards fail to meet key smoking target 

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has said that voting SNP is "bad for your health" as new figures showed that most health boards failed to meet their target for helping people to quit smoking.

The Scottish Government have a target for 7,026 people across the country to report successful twelve-week quits in 2024/25.

This target is spread across health boards. However, new figures show that no health board, except for Dumfries & Galloway, met their individual target in 2024/25. NHS Shetland and NHS Lanarkshire achieved less than 50% of their individual targets.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“If cigarettes come with a warning, so too should the SNP's name on the ballot paper- voting SNP is bad for your health.

"Smoking claims the lives of thousands across Scotland every year, predominantly in the most deprived areas of the country. But like so many issues facing our health service, people deserve better than the SNP's missed targets and broken promises.

“With our NHS already under immense pressure, helping people take preventative action to quit is now more vital than ever before.

“Liberal Democrats were instrumental in delivering the ban on smoking in public areas and in cars with children, but that progress is being undermined by the SNP.

“The Scottish Government needs to work with health boards and urgently set out how it will enable Stop Smoking Services to help more people quit, meet the standards and save lives.

"Liberal Democrats would also introduce a new levy on tobacco company profits to help fund healthcare and smoking cessation services."