Free vapes given out in A&E could save ‘thousands of lives’

Dr Ian Pope, from the UEA Norwich Medical School, said: “Swapping to e-cigarettes could save thousands of lives.

“We believe that if this intervention was widely implemented it could result in more than 22,000 extra people quitting smoking each year,” he added.

“Attending the emergency department offers a valuable opportunity for people to be supported to quit smoking, which will improve their chances of recovery from whatever has brought them to hospital, and also prevent future illness.”

Prof Caitlin Notley, trial co-lead, said vapes could be “an attractive option” to help people stop smoking.

“We know that they are much less harmful than smoking tobacco, and that they have been shown to help smokers quit,” she said.

“About half of all people who smoke will die prematurely, losing on average 10 years of life, and for every death caused by smoking, approximately 30 more people are suffering from a smoking-related disease.”