Just as not everyone manages to give up smoking at the first attempt, so it is with the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.
But from Friday (2 September) the Royal Sussex, in Eastern Road, is going smoke-free again.
Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: “We have attempted to go smoke-free before but it is fair to say it didn’t work and not least because we were inconsistent in applying the policy.
“As a compromise we tried introducing smoking shelters but I think most would agree these have not worked either as our grounds look like an ashtray.
“All or nothing has to be the way forward, so all it is, and this time we mean it.
“This absolutely applies to staff, and to the relatives and visitors of those in our care, under any and all circumstances.
“It also applies, other than in exceptional circumstances, to patients though of course discretion will be needed.”
Signs and bins are being put up by every entrance to the Royal Sussex – and around the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, which is also run by the trust. Banners are promised at both hospitals to reinforce the message.
Any member of the public trying to defy the ban can expect – as a last resort – to be escorted from the premises by security staff.
‘Signs and bins are being put up by every entrance to the Royal Sussex’. Why haven’t they already been installed?
‘to be escorted from the premises by security staff’. What if the smoker refuses to be escorted peacefully? If any force is used the hospital can be expected to be sued.
IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO SMOKE IN OPEN PUBLIC PLACES.
It’s a shame that Mr Selbie is so adamant that smokers will be escorted ‘off the premises’. Smoking in the open air is NOT illegal, therefore any smoker manhandled buy anyone can be arrested and charged with assault-pure and simple. It is a shame that Mr Selbie sees fit to waste valuable hospital resources on brainless ‘flatfeet’ and even more posters & banners when patient care is paramount but there you go; he would be better served by employing someone to simply go round sweeping rubbish up! Still, highly paid, high powered execs don’t often think in a straightforward manner. Smoking will never die out, they have made it so tempting for youngsters now as to be ridiculous!
Well done Royal Sussex for taking smoking on hospital grounds seriously and putting the wellbeing and health of patients, staff and visitors as priority. There is nothing more sad than seeing patients in hospital being treated for cancer, heart disease or emphysema standing outside hospital entrances with their drips and a fag hanging out their mouths.
A hospital is an ideal place to get people to think about their health and support people to quit or at least not smoke when they are in hospital by giving them NRT.
In 1974, 45% of adults in the UK smoked. In 2009 it was 21%. The con of the tobacco industry and their billions of pounds spent every year on covertly enticing young people and women to smoke and lobbying government via front groups shows how serious they are at keeping their fat pockets lined with cash while they watch as their products kill their customers.
Nicotine is more addictive than heroin and smoking kills. It is only common sense that hospitals set a positive example for health by not allowing it on their grounds. Something they have every right to do.
Olena, whereas I totally agree that it is a sensible approach it is NOT enforceable in law-and that is the difference-end of subject!
Olena. Hospitals always used to have smoking rooms. If this was still allowed you would not see ‘patients in hospital being treated for cancer, heart disease or emphysema standing outside hospital entrances with their drips and a fag hanging out their mouths’.
Charles is absolutely right with that as well. Who created the problem? people like Mr Selbie did and now people like Mr Selbie are squawking all over tghe country because they know that they cannot enforce their further petty minded restrictions on smokers!.
I cannot understand why the idiot brigade suddenly decided to speed up the already self reducing numbers of smokers-look at the problems now caused because the idiot factory (NuLabour) open the asylum gates!