FOI2026/2124

1. Vaping on NHS trust sites. The latest information NHS GM holds (for example a survey, tracker, mapping exercise or report prepared for the Making Smoking History programme or the Greater Manchester smokefree NHS work) showing, for each NHS trust in Greater Manchester, whether the trust permits vaping on its sites (anywhere, or in designated areas) or prohibits it. Please give the date of the information. A copy of the existing document or table is sufficient; we are not asking you to survey the trusts.
2. Greater Manchester vaping harm reduction consensus statement. Under the Making Smoking History framework 2024–2030:

   (a) the current status of the Greater Manchester vaping harm reduction consensus statement (for example in draft, agreed, published or withdrawn), with the date it was agreed or published, and a copy of the latest version held; and

   (b) a list of the organisations that have signed or endorsed it (organisation names only, not individuals).

   If no such statement has been produced, please say so and provide any paper that records a decision to defer or drop it.

3. Correspondence with WWL. Correspondence (letters and emails, including attachments) sent or received between 1 January 2023 and the date of your search, between NHS GM (including the Make Smoking History programme team) and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), about WWL’s e-cigarette or vaping policy or its Smoke Free Policy. To keep this within the cost limit, a search of the mailboxes of the Make Smoking History / tobacco control and population health staff for the terms “WWL” or “Wrightington” together with “vape”, “vaping” or “e-cigarette” is sufficient; please tell us what search you ran. Names and contact details of junior staff may be redacted.

1. Vaping on NHS Trust sites

NHS Greater Manchester does not hold a single current document that provides a definitive record of the vaping policy of every NHS Trust in Greater Manchester. Individual Trusts are therefore best placed to confirm their current policy and local arrangements directly.

To assist with your enquiry, I have attached below a link to their websites with information on how to make a Freedom of Information request:

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Bolton NHS FT (boltonft.nhs.uk)

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Northern Care Alliance

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information – Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (mft.nhs.uk)

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information – Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information Requests :: Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care (tamesideandglossopicft.nhs…

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of information disclosure logs (christie.nhs.uk)

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information :: Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – Freedom of Information | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT (gmmh.nhs.uk)

Vaping is discussed regularly with Trust representatives through the Greater Manchester Smokefree Hospitals workstream. Trust policies and local approaches continue to develop, including in response to national policy and legislative developments.

The most recent information understood by NHS Greater Manchester is summarised in the table below. This information was gathered through publicly available sources and conversations with Trusts.

Based on the information understood at this time, NHS Greater Manchester’s understanding is as follows:

This information should not be treated as a definitive statement of each Trust’s current policy. Trust policies and operational arrangements are determined locally and may have changed since the information was collected. The individual Trusts would therefore be best placed to confirm their current position.

For Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Greater Manchester holds a draft of its updated Smoke Free Hospital Policy, version 7, dated June 2026. A copy cannot be provided as part of this response, as the document is not owned by NHS Greater Manchester and we are unable to confirm whether it has been formally ratified. It would therefore be best to submit an FOI request directly to the organisation that owns the document. To assist with your enquiry, please see below details to contact their Freedom of Information Team:

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WWL Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | FOI Disclosure Log

2. Greater Manchester vaping harm reduction consensus statement

NHS Greater Manchester holds two versions of a Greater Manchester vaping harm reduction consensus statement: a general version and an NHS staff version.

The statements were developed through the Greater Manchester Making Smoking History Alliance. Alliance members agreed that the content represented the Greater Manchester position on vaping. However, the Alliance operates as a partnership working by consensus rather than as a formal decision-making or approving body. The statements have therefore not been formally approved or signed by the Alliance member organisations or by NHS Greater Manchester.

Copies of the latest general and NHS staff versions held by NHS Greater Manchester are provided in the document provided at the bottom of this response.

3. Correspondence with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals

NHS Foundation Trust

A search was undertaken of relevant emails held within the inboxes of members of the Making Smoking History, tobacco control and population health team who work on smokefree policy, using the keyword searches specified in the request. The emails identified through these searches are from 2026.

The following keyword searches were undertaken, as specified in the request:

• “WWL e-cigarette”
• “WWL vaping”
• “WWL vape”

The results were reviewed to identify correspondence falling within the scope of the request and to remove duplication where the same emails or email chains appeared across more than one search.

The request asks for correspondence both to and from Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL). NHS Greater Manchester is providing the relevant correspondence sent by NHS Greater Manchester to WWL identified through these searches.

Correspondence originating from WWL is not being reproduced as part of this disclosure. Any request for correspondence sent by WWL should be directed to WWL directly.

The NHS Greater Manchester correspondence provided relates primarily to WWL’s Smoke Free Hospital Policy, including feedback on the policy and considerations relating to vaping and the use of vapes as a quit aid.

A word document was sent to the requester with this response.  If you require a copy of the full response, together with the attachments, please contact NHS GM’s FOI team nhsgm.foi@nhs.net