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Smoking at hospital doors

Posted By DOUGLAS12

"Smoking at hospital doors"

About: Gartnavel Royal Hospital Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow

(as a relative),

I have visited my Mother at The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital & Gartnavel Hospitals in Glasgow over the past 3 months & appalled that in spite of extensive notices throughout banning smoking it still persists.

Recently at the QEUH disturbed that clearly patients are being assisted to front doors allowing them to smoke polluting the air at the entrance & this then enters the main reception areas & front & rear of the hospital - where are the human rights of non smokers & what is being done about this breach. This practice is quite disgusting a new hospital with an entrance covered in cigarette ends & ash. Is there no control over this staff & visitors are being forced to endure passive smoking - this is unacceptable - after all this is a hospital

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Responses

Response from Lorna Fairlie, Patient Experience, Public Involvement Project Manager, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 8 years ago
Lorna Fairlie
Patient Experience, Public Involvement Project Manager,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

I work in a small team in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde which seeks to involve patients and carers in the work of the NHS. The biggest part of my role is in managing feedback projects across the Board area, one of which is Patient Opinion. It is my job to give our patients and carers the opportunity to give us feedback, and to make sure that this is passed to the right people to help us improve the services we provide.

Submitted on 23/12/2015 at 13:27
Published on Care Opinion at 14:15

Dear DOUGLAS12,

Thank you for getting in touch with your views on the subject of smoking within hospital grounds - I often get feedback very similar to that which you have given and know that it is important to a lot of people. It is something that we as a Board have been working hard to control, although we know that there remains an issue on all of our hospital sites.

NHSGGC does have a Smokefree Policy in buildings and on grounds, and this policy applies to staff, patients and visitors. Experience to date however illustrates that in general this is an extremely difficult and sensitive situation to manage, particularly with members of the public, because while it is illegal to smoke in the hospital building, it is not illegal within the grounds yet.

As you mentioned, we have clear signage displayed throughout the hospital site internally and externally as well as regular patrols requesting that patients and visitors refrain from smoking in the grounds. This however requires the co-operation of those who do smoke in the grounds, and can therefore sometimes have limited success, however we will continue to utilise all communication methods to promote our smokefree policy and grounds message to all staff, patients and visitors.

We record and monitor every bit of feedback we get through Patient Opinion, and our own feedback website so that we are continually monitoring the issues that really matter to our patients and visitors and this is no exception. Your comments have already been fed back to Facilities colleagues and we will continue to try to work with patients, visitors and staff to improve this for everyone who uses our hospitals.

Best Wishes,

Lorna

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