Portsmouth wellbeing service helps hundreds quit smoking and manage health
Over 1,200 residents used the city’s wellbeing service in the first half of 2025/26, with hundreds supported to quit smoking and better manage their weight and alcohol use.
Portsmouth City Council’s Wellbeing Service supported more than 1,200 people between April and September 2025.
The free service, which anyone can contact directly without going through their GP, received 2,193 referrals, with 56 per cent of people choosing to take up support.
Support is available over the phone or face-to-face at venues across the city. As part of the service, people are asked about smoking and alcohol use, weight and height, and how active they are, so support can be tailored to their needs.
Smoking, weight and alcohol support
Stopping smoking was the most common reason for people getting in touch, with 1,573 referrals asking for help to quit. The service offers 12 weeks of one-to-one support, along with stop smoking medication. Between April and September, more than 600 people set a quit date, with 41 per cent quitting within four weeks.
Vapes played a key role, with 40 per cent of quit attempts using an e-cigarette through the government’s Swap to Stop scheme. Community pop-up sessions also gave 68 people the chance to try a vape with no pressure to commit, and 15 went on to quit smoking.
Support for weight management led to 639 referrals, with 68 per cent taking up help. 161 people joined Healthier Me weight groups which provide practical skills, recipes, and social support through workshops and activities, 116 completed the full programme.
Alcohol support made up a smaller number of referrals, with 52 people asking for help where alcohol was a concern. Over 1,000 clients were screened using the AUDIT-C tool, and anyone drinking at risky levels was given advice and signposted to further support where needed.
Users
Client information shows the service is reaching people who often face poorer health. Six in ten clients were women, with most aged 55 to 64. The highest numbers came from Charles Dickens and Nelson wards.
Around 35 per cent were long-term unemployed or sick or disabled, and 61 per cent did not have to pay for prescriptions.
More information can be found on www.wellbeingportsmouth.co.uk