NHS exerts discipline

[Gob]

The NHS must stop turning a "blind eye" to smoking and ban it in all hospital grounds in England, according to new guidance.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said it wanted to see smoking shelters scrapped so patients, visitors and staff could not light up.

Staff should also stop helping patients out of their beds to go for a smoke.

And patients who smoke must be identified and offered help to quit, the guidance added.

It said nurses, doctors and other staff could give brief advice and then refer smokers on to NHS stopping smoking services.

Smoking rates are particularly high among mental health patients with one in three smoking, rising to 70% in psychiatric units.

That compares with the one in five among the general population who are smokers.

How one hospital in Cambridge has struggled to stub out smoking

The guidance, which is voluntary for the NHS to follow, even suggested staff caught smoking should be disciplined.

[rubato]

Quitting the smoking addiction is unpleasant but then so is paying millions for the care of chronic addicts with voluntary disabilities.



yrs,
rubato

[Andrew D]

Whatever one thinks of the policy in general, maybe adding mental stress to patients already in psychiatric units is not the best idea ....