Trusts urged to ban smoking on hospital grounds

A survey from Public Health England has found that more than two-thirds of NHS acute trusts in England now prohibit smoking on site as part of their journey to becoming smokefree.

Part of PHE’s Smokefree NHS campaign, which encourages all hospitals to provide smokefree environments as part of supporting smokers to quit and reducing tobacco-related harms, the survey did warn that 31 per cent of trusts have not yet enforced total smoking bans across hospital premises.

The NHS Five Year Forward View included a commitment for all trusts to have fully smokefree sites by spring 2020. At present, 69 per cent have banned smoking on grounds. The Smokefree NHS campaign also calls for all patients who smoke to be offered evidence-based quitting support.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, said: “One in four hospital beds are occupied by a smoker, and most of them want to quit. Many patients or visitors will be going through difficult times, but smoking remains England’s biggest preventable killer and it is time for the NHS to stop smoking within its hospital grounds, everywhere. It cannot be right that it is more acceptable in some hospitals to smoke at the front door than it is outside a pub.”