Tuesday 14 September 2010

SMOKING AT THE HOSPITAL

Wigan Infirmary has a few smoking shelters outside for those patients and staff who smoke. They plan to remove them on Oct 1st and make the entire site non-smoking. I reckon they should read this first:

SMOKING shelters for patients, visitors and staff have been reintroduced at the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals.
Trust managers were forced into the U-turn because of safety issues around the number of people defying the five-year-old smoke-free policy.
As the Daily Echo reported in June, some patients had been caught smoking under the bedclothes, in stairwells, toilets, storerooms, courtyards and even next to the oxygen store. The fire service had been called out and staff had put out small fires with jugs of water.
Employees had been caught smoking in 21 areas around the Bournemouth site and six at Christchurch, leading to a build-up of debris and litter.
Smoking continues to be banned inside the hospitals. In the grounds, it is now restricted to newly-designated smoking areas or shelters.
The six areas at Bournemouth include the edge of the car park opposite the main entrance and the edge of the car park outside the emergency department.
At Christchurch, patients can smoke under supervision in the ward gardens and a smoking shelter has been provided in the car park behind the hospital. There is also a new smoking area at the trust’s sterile services unit at Alderney in Poole.
Staff at all three sites have been warned they face disciplinary action if they are caught smoking outside designated areas.
A spokesperson for the trust said: “The board agreed, reluctantly, to implement smoking areas as a way of minimising the risk of illicit smoking within our hospitals.
“The trust does not endorse or support smoking in any way.
“We have a health campaign in place, which includes working with SmokeStop services to educate staff and patients about the dangers of smoking and related illness.
“We are also promoting healthy living – for example, encouraging staff to take walks at lunchtime.
“The trust will monitor the impact of the policy, and if it is felt to be not working, it will be reviewed.”

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8386360.Bournemouth_Hospital_smoking_u_turn/

What do the bigwigs at the infirmary think will happen here?

I'll take a flying guess - the other side of the road will have a constant 50+ people having a smoke - patients and staff. Fine-ish for the staff, not so good for the patients in winter.  They may (or may not) have the power to impose their will on the staff - they certainly don't have such power over the patients.

I recommend the anti-smoking nazis have a policy rethink.

You might care to read this - which is where I got the story from. It has more information.

http://freedom-2-choose.blogspot.com/2010/09/you-are-always-on-my-mind.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FqZch+%28Freedom+To+Choose%29

Morg
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

sorry but when they banned smoking in public places it made my life more bearable,never have i caused others distress. The times thoughtless people with this vile habit,almost as bad as two men kissing in public,have caused total misery to me,On buses.full of smokers who cared nothing for my discomfort.Restaurants where i had to leave due to the amount of toxic waste that was choking me to death. My nights ruined in the local pub unable to breath or even see the bar.NO smoking needs to be baned,with shelters or wind tunnels to drive the smoke away from others who do not want or like it!personally i think if you wish to smoke you should be provided with your own environment like a gold fish bowl .where you can have the full flavor of the tar and enjoy wheezing coughing and runny eyes all to your self with out harming others!!TEX

Leigh, Lancashire Nationalist said...

I have never owned nor driven a car or any other motorised method of transport for that matter! Yet, each day I have to leave my home and inhale the lung busting carbon monoxide filth spewed from our ever over used roads, and this as I walk to the bus station each morning.
Unfortunately, I have no choice on the matter but I have to put up with it!

I'm currently contemplating on whether to purchase one of those face masks to combat the stench and choke of these inconsiderate motorist pollution activists - maybe these mask's should be offered to all those non-smokers when approaching these designated smoking points.

7 months and counting!

Lanky Patriot said...

I have the same problem Gary.
Every time I get out of my car (motorists are pedestrians too) my lungs are assaulted by the fumes of the large engined often empty buses which clog up our roads.
We all have to get used to other people in our crowded country.
I as you know have been an ex smoker for 30 years but enjoy a passive smoke. It smells nice to me and is free.

While I know that smoking is very bad for one's health the powers that be seem to take a more lenient view when the tobaco is mixed with the psychologically damaging cannabis.

Smoking is not allowed inmy house. If you want a cig at my place you MUST smoke IN the house. It is only fair when taking part of my hospitality to allow me some of the pleasure.Also smoking indoors is non PC and I encourage it here for that reason. And passive smoking NEVER gave anybody cancer.

yaz