A report by the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians

 Smoking is the largest avoidable cause of death and disability, and of social inequalities in health, in the UK. Helping smokers to quit smoking is therefore the current most pressing need in health promotion and disease prevention.

 This report reviews the health and financial costs of smoking to health and the NHS, effective treatments, models of delivery across the UK and different sectors of the NHS, use of smoking related data across the NHS and the general population, training of healthcare professionals, smoke-free NHS estates and the medical ethics of treating tobacco dependency. It discusses how current failings in NHS services can be remedied, and explains why it is the business of everyone working in the health service to engage in identifying smokers and helping them to quit.