The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is disappointed by the decision from Liverpool City Council not to renew the contract with Roy Castle FagEnds. The service currently provides smoking cessation support for people across the city region.
This decision comes during a period of further restrictions to the council’s overall budget. These pressures follow cuts in financial support from central government. It also reflects a national trend of reducing funding for smoking cessation services.
The council has faced difficult financial decisions, and we recognise the challenges involved. However, the outcome remains particularly disappointing. Roy Castle FagEnds, the first smoking cessation service in the UK, has delivered strong results during its 20 years of operation.
Impact of the FagEnds Service
The FagEnds team has helped more than 100,000 smokers quit. Between January 2010 and December 2015 alone, 24,315 people stopped smoking with the service’s support.
Smoking prevalence in Liverpool has also fallen by more than 12% during this time.
From January 2010 to December 2015, another 10,242 people signed the SmokeFree Families pledge.
Continuing the Fight Against Smoking
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation continues to campaign for a smoke-free Liverpool. We remain proud of the progress made over the years.
The charity, which is the only national organisation dedicated solely to beating the UK’s biggest cancer killer, continues to grow from its headquarters in Liverpool.
We successfully campaigned for legislation that banned smoking in public places. More recently, we have worked with local partners to support Stoptober. These campaigns also helped raise awareness of the smoking ban in cars where under-18s are present.
Each year, the foundation invests more than £1 million in medical research. These projects aim to improve the lives and future prospects of people living with lung cancer.
New Support for Patients and Families
The charity is launching a brand-new helpline to support people throughout the lung cancer journey. This support will begin at diagnosis and continue through treatment and beyond.
The service will guide patients and families towards other organisations and agencies when needed. These may provide help with social, medical or legal matters. The helpline will also offer guidance and support for people who want to quit smoking.
Looking Ahead
Although this decision from Liverpool City Council is disappointing, support will still be available. People in Liverpool who want to stop smoking will continue to receive help.
We would like to thank our partners, supporters and clients. Their commitment helped make Roy Castle FagEnds a success over the past 20 years.
Current arrangements mean the service will continue until the end of June 2016. Our understanding is that FagEnds will operate until that time.
The foundation will work closely with Solutions4Health, the new provider of smoking cessation services. The aim is to ensure the excellent service continues and that clients and staff experience a smooth transition.
Appendix:
A personal statement from Prof Ray Donnelly, who founded Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
Friday 4 March 2016
I would like to reiterate everything that Paula has said.
It was in 1994 that I first met FagEnds. They were a group of young people, led by Melody Holt who had given up smoking and we’re trying to help other people quit in one of the poorer districts of Liverpool. They had the idea of working within their own communities, with their peers on a voluntary basis and in a non-judgemental way. Their approach was more grass-roots and very different from that taken by health professionals and it appealed to me.
Mel and her friends had persuaded their GP to let them have a desk and a telephone once a week and their enthusiasm was infectious.
I decided to help them and, over the next few years, gave them a series of small grants, firstly to buy a computer, then to rent an office space and finally to employ some staff.
They performed so well that, eventually, we absorbed them into the Foundation and they became Roy Castle FagEnds.
They went from strength to strength, achieving success rates way above the standards set by the Department of Health. They have never lost their fundamental ethos and their achievements have been truly great.
We can be very proud of what they have contributed to the wellbeing and health of thousands of people in Merseyside and very grateful for the vision which Mel had all those years ago.
To all our FagEnds staff I say thank you and that you will be greatly missed but I am sure that the talent you have will ensure that you continue to be successful as you take on new opportunities.
I understand that it will be a couple of months before you leave and I have no doubt that you will continue to give it your all as you always have done.
The Foundation will always be in your heart, I’m sure, and I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on.
With very best regards and much admiration.
Ray