NHS schemes could reward stop smoking hypnotherapy

A new scheme under consideration by the NHS could mean that stop smoking hypnotherapy would help people qualify for financial rewards.

NICE, the regulatory body which advises the NHS in England and Wales, is considering widespread implementation of a scheme which offers financial incentives to encourage healthier lifestyles. Already in place in some areas of the country, it is hoped by the health care system that it can help tackle problems such as drinking, obesity - and smoking.

One example is Tayside, on the east coast of Scotland. In 2007 the local NHS board offered weekly grocery vouchers to pregnant women who stopped smoking, worth around £12.50 and offered for up to three months after the birth. The vouchers can't be exchanged for alcohol or cigarettes.

This kind of financial reward could provide the incentive to make a long term commitment to quitting smoking, at least for long enough to overcome the physical addiction; combined with methods such as stop smoking hypnotherapy to tackle the mental dependency, it could be extremely successful.

Professor Mike Kelly, the head of public health for NICE, told the BBC ahead of a citizens conference on the issue that the question is "over whether behaviour is sustained when incentives end."

He said: "The benefit of getting a child to become more active or a person to give up smoking at 25 is clear for the individual and for society"