Provide Community has become one of the first organisations to achieve a new Smokefree Employer Award, recognising its commitment to supporting colleagues to stop smoking and improve their health and wellbeing.
The award was launched by Essex Working Well in April 2026 and recognises employers taking practical steps to prevent tobacco dependency and provide effective support for employees who want to become smokefree.
Provide Community achieved the award after demonstrating a range of measures already embedded across the organisation, including trained Very Brief Advice Advisors, regular workplace and digital health checks which record smoking status and clear pathways into specialist stop smoking support.
Importantly, the approach is already making a difference. Three Provide Community colleagues have so far successfully become smokefree with support from the organisation’s in-house NHS smoking cessation service.
The achievement has particular significance for Provide Community as the lead provider of Essex Wellbeing Service, which includes Essex Working Well and provides health and wellbeing support to employers across Essex.
Mark Heasman, Group Chief Executive at Provide Community, said: “Achieving the Smokefree Employer Award is a fantastic recognition of the work taking place across Provide Community to support the health and wellbeing of our colleagues.
“What matters most is the difference that support can make to individuals. We are particularly proud that three of our colleagues have already successfully become smokefree with support from our in-house service.
“As lead provider of Essex Wellbeing Service, we also have an opportunity to lead by example, putting into practice within our own organisation the preventative health and wellbeing approaches that we encourage and support other employers to adopt.”
The award supports wider national ambitions to create a smokefree generation and reduce the health impacts associated with tobacco use.
Provide Community will continue to build on its approach to workplace health and wellbeing, ensuring colleagues have access to information, advice and practical support to make positive changes to their health.
Organisations interested in working towards the Smokefree Employer Award or requesting a copy of the Smokefree Employer Toolkit can contact [email protected].
