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Care Opinion

Smoking

Story from nhs.uk

"Smoking"

About: Pilgrim Hospital

In 2015 you said smoking was not permitted except in designated areas.

In February this yeas I drew attention to smoking outside by patients and visitors alike in atrocious weather to PALS.

I got a rubbish resonse.

"Some visitors may be grieving.

If staff tell them to stop they get abuse.

The problem was being addressed by NHS England."

If you cannot control smoking what chance a faceless bureaucrat in Whitehall.

Today, outside the main entrance there were still smokers.

In the concourse are a number of planters with a good crop of weeds.

The first planter on the left leaving the entrance however has several hundred cigarette butts.

What does this tell the smoker?

"The hospital doesn't care if we smoke.

It is OK to smoke here as the evidence shows that smokers have been here hundreds of times."

Whilst smokers have a right to smoke they do not have a right to force non-smokers to run the gauntlet.

With a general reduction in smoking we are more sensitive to smoke from many yards away.

If you do not make regular positive patrols outside, if you do not remove the hundreds if butts then nothing will change.

Inside the hospital we have never experienced a problem with the excellence of care.

Outside from the car park to the doors is a disgrace.

The sooner you ban smoking on the site, as a notice outside A&E actually states, then you will still have a problem.

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Responses

Response from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 6 years ago
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Submitted on 26/09/2017 at 10:17
Published on Care Opinion at 12:02

Dear Anonymous

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) as a healthcare provider and major employer in Lincolnshire will, promote public health and create an environment that minimises the health risks to members of the public, patients and staff who access or provide our services.

ULHT endorses the principle that whilst smoking is a matter of personal choice and that not all smokers will wish to cease smoking, where an individual smokes is of public concern.

ULHT acknowledges that breathing other people’s smoke is both a public health hazard and a welfare issue. Therefore, the Smoke Free policy is been adopted. The policy also covers the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and vapourisers.

The Trust has agreed and will be implementing a policy where there will be no smoking, including e-cigarettes and vapourisers in any buildings, grounds, rented, leased, sub-let or used by ULHT. Smoking inside cars whilst parked on Trust property is prohibited. Smoking will not be permitted within ULHT pool cars and vehicles.

We recognise that some patients and employees may experience difficulty in complying with this policy. Anyone who is considering stopping smoking can access information and support through the Trust this may take a variety of forms including: the provision of information and guidance; counselling; in-house smoking cessation programmes and referral to Stop Smoking Services.

The policy has been agreed by the Trust Board and at present the Trust are in the closing stages of agreeing communications to patients, visitors and staff that signage is put in place throughout the Trust and support service are in place, we hope to launch ULHT as a smoke free trust in November 2017.

Regards

Stephen Kelly, Occupational Health Service

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