AIBU to complain to the hospital?

[DetectivePotato]

Ok I am one of those annoying ex smokers. But my hospital has big signs up, promoting their smoking shelters and going on about how it is a non smoking site, apart from designated areas.

Everytime I have been up there recently, I have had to walk through a fair few people stood right at the entrance lighting up. I don't want to walk through the fumes at the best of times, particularly when I am pregnant and have DS with my. One person stood there was a nurse.

It has been everytime I have been there so should I complain? Would you bother?

Sorry I didn't read the post properly, I shouldn't try to be opinionated whilst I'm eating breakfast and reading work emails. Sorry to Daisy x

Our hospital has that problem. There are maybe about 10 entrances to the hospital. There are 2 security guards on duty, they have to spend most of their time in A&E protecting the staff.

I rang once for them to come to our ward as we had someone who wasn't a patient (a bloke) refuse to leave and bedded down for the night on the floor in a female ward. They were too busy to come for 3 hours so these poor women had this strange man sleeping on the floor.

We've had other problems where visitors have got violent or a known Cat 1 sex offender is trying to get access to the ward and they've come then but I guess they have to give priority to this sort of thing.

If they move the smokers within ten minutes they will be back. Its sad that people have such little respect for rules. As a mamber of staff I've asked people to stop and being met with threats of violence or outright refusal so I've stopped asking now.

Agree Viva, I wouldn't say a thing to these people even though I strongly disagree with staff smoking on hospital grounds. Our A&E staff are getting constantly attacked. The patients stood outside smoking threaten anyone who tells them to knock it off.

There is no security to protect staff from these people. We had a 6 foot detoxer jumped up on illicit drugs brought in to him by a visitor knock an HCA and a staff nurse unconcious on the ward one evening. It took 3 other staff to hold him down and that was all the staff there was for the shift. Management refused to pay for a security firm to come in. The porters said they were too busy to help (they are supposed to double as security).

We had to call 999. Everything the junior doc prescribed made the patient more aggressive and the doc couldn't stick around and help because he was covering multiple wards. A male patient got out of bed and helped us restrain the guy till the cops came. He got bit and so did I.

Management when crazy over the fact that we called the police in. Told us that we should have handled it like big girls instead of whinging about our safety.

After that there is no way I am challenging any rough looking person anywhere on hospital grounds. I'd challenge staff smoking by the entrance though.

People never fail to amaze me with their ignorance and stupidity!! (People described in above 2 posts).

....cautiously checking to see if I was one of the previous two posters!

The Trust should have a smoking policy, you could ask for a copy.

Hospitals should know that smoking is going to continue despite the Big Notices everywhere. And also that some people, especially patients and visitors, are likely to be going through stressful times which is absolutely not the best time to find somewhere off-site to smoke.

The sensible way is to guide smokers away from the main entrances, but management can't do that, can they. I'm not sure, but I think part of the process of hospitals applying for foundation status included going smoking-free. Which is good on paper, but doesn't help the smoking-addicted people who are going through a tough time. In the hospital I used to work in, the senior anaesthetist involved in the ICU and HD wards got in a stock of nicotine patches for patients who were smokers because of the effects of sudden withdrawal.

As for security not responding to threatening and abusive behaviour - well, words fail me. I would really hope that if I were a patient and there was an incident, then security should be there fast. And if not, then I would support any member of staff who called the police.