To think stopping hospital staff smoking within the grounds

[Sparklingbrook]

will cause no end of problems?

here

On paper it's a good thing but can it actually be done?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I thought it was a standard thing? Now all they need to do is figure out how to stop the patients doing it
...

[Technical]

Yes, it's been the rule here for years

[TheDoctorsNewKidneys]

It's been the rule here for at least five years. Staff used to be able to smoke outside the doors, now they have to leave grounds completely.

[ElleMcFearsome]

At the hospital I worked at this has been in place for a few years, I think. All that happens is staff/patients cross the road to be off hospital premises and smoke there. The people who lived in the houses across the road were distinctly unhappy with their pavement being ankle deep (ok, slight exaggeration!) in cigarette butts...

[meddie]

The hospital I work in has been smoke free for a few years, They removed the smoking shelter, hasnt stopped patients and relatives at all, now they just put their fag ends out on the ground or in the flower/tree displays, which means that every night they have to be cleaned up.
When we had a shelter they had large sand bins and fags were put out their.
Staff sneak around finding hidden areas to smoke on their breaks, all its done is spread the smoking around the site instead of concentrating it in a few designated areas.

[Stinklebell]

Our local hospital has banned smoking on the grounds for the last couple of years.

All that happens is that everyone stands on the road just outside, getting in everyone's way, blocking the queue for the bus stop and leaning on the fence of the neighbouring nursery's out door play area.

The smoking shelter used to be right out of the way, no where near any other buildings and no where near where anyone had to walk so I'm not sure banning it on the grounds has been that great an idea to be honest

[Sparklingbrook]

That's exactly what I think will happen. They will go and smoke just outside the grounds causing a big smokefest somewhere else?

[Technical]

Yes, here they go outside the back entrance which is on a lane with no pavement. No neighbours to upset but there have been at least two instances of staff being hit by cars.

[Sparklingbrook]

Blimey Technical sounds like a case of moving the problem.

[blahblahblah2014]

I think it's wrong as my local hospital have a "no smoking on hospital grounds" policy and i often see some very old and vulnerable looking patients leaving the hospital grounds to light up - This can't be safe for them, having to wander off grounds in their hospital gowns, often attached to drips as well! I work very close to the hospital so pass several times a day and worry if they collapsed or something that noone would be around to help them...

[Sparklingbrook]

I think this is just staff at them moment blah. The main entrance is usually blocked up with the people you describe.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

There's a smoking ban at my hospital but last summer when I was in I used to go outside for a fag and everybody was out there sitting in the sun having a fag. There's those giant ashtrays/bins scattered around so I think they know they're fighting a losing battle.
As for staff, I saw three nurses in their 'smoking coats, having a crafty one.

[Sparklingbrook]

I don't know what the answer is really. Patients and Staff that are addicted to smoking will want to go and have a cigarette. They just will.

[blahblahblah2014]

In my local hospital it is for everyone, not just staff - There are signs etc everywhere

[Stinklebell]

Ours have banned patients too. The grounds (including the car park) are supposed to be completely smoke free (although you do see people having a sneaky fag while hiding in their cars)

You often see patients standing by the road in their dressing gowns dragging their drips

At least when they had the smoking shelter, it was in sight of the hospital, away from everyone else, away from all buildings and the rubbish and fag butts were disposed of in those sand filled bins.

It's just moved the problem elsewhere and now affects it affects everyone else

[steff13]

There's been no smoking on the grounds of our local hospital for years. I've been there quite a few times, and I've never seen anyone smoking. I don't know where they go, but it doesn't seem like it's an issue.

[blahblahblah2014]

i really think therer should be somewhere safe for the patients to go, it's very sad seeing scantily hospital gown clad patients with drips (often very old and not steady on their feet) having to walk off hospital grounds to have a ciggie - It's not safe for them and it would not cause an issue to anyone else if they had a little shelter somewhere away from passers by who didn't want to be smoked near. There is ample space for this on most hospital grounds, and certainly at my local one (Charing Cross in Fulham for anyone who is interested)

[Technical]

I wonder if there are stats that suggest that whilst this kind of ban doesn't make people give up, making it difficult /inconvenient /uncomfortable to have a fag does make them smoke less?

Not sure how much truth there is in it but when my (private) company closed thier smoking rooms years ago, they said it was because they would be open to lawsuits if they "encouraged" staff to smoke by providing facilities to enable them.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

I think its a good idea to have a smoking shelter a manageable distance away from the doors with benches and ashtrays. It contains the problem and its not like smokers who have dragged themselves through miles of corridors are just going to think "I won't bother" rather than congregating around the gates everyone has to go through and leaving litter.

[NurseyWursey]

It's stupid because instead they smoke on the main road at the front of the hospital, it doesn't look good to be honest.

It'd be better if there was a smoking shelter out of the way somewhere.

[mum56789]

It was introduced years ago in the hospital I worked in. The hospital was in the middle of nowhere so people used to emerge from the bushes or come out from behind a tree. But tbh the picnic benches we had outside for breaks were completely dominated by the smokers up until that point.

[Sparklingbrook]

'Emerge from the bushes'.

[iliketea]

In my local hospital, smoking on site has been banned for a while for everyone.

I see that tey are trying to promote health, but I think it needs to be recognised that some people do smoke, and there may as well be somewhere suitable on site, otherwise there ends up that people ignore the ban and smoke wherever they please - means that fag ends are scattered rather than contained. Also, I don't know who enforces it. I imagine if you've just been told some god-awful news and you "need a cigarette" to cope, someone giving you advise about smoking cessation at that point would be told where to go. And if I was a staff member, I'd have some sympathy with a relative who's just been told some terrible news and "needed a fag" to help calm down at that moment.

[TossedSaladsAndScrambledEggs]

Hospitals can prescribe nicotine patches for patients if they need them. Staff frankly shouldnot be smoking on the grounds. This has been standard over many trusts for a while now. I am an ex smoker myself but do not agree that hospitals are the place for smoking.

[JonSnowsPout]

There a hospital at the end of my road. All the staff stand on the paths outside my flat smoking away blocking the path they all shufffle into each other to let us past with the buggies, also their chatter can be annoying at 1am not their fault as theres nowhere else to go and even speaking low can be heard

My downstairs neighbour finds it comforting having people outside constantly though, she calls them security

Bring back the smoking shed!