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Heartbeat: Going smoke free – what does it mean for you?

March 12, 2019

As you may be aware, the Trust’s sites will become smoke free on the NHS’s next birthday – 5 July 2019. Over the past few months colleagues, patients, visitors and people living within our communities have had the opportunity to share their views on how we can best manage this change. The majority of people responding to the survey are overwhelming in support of the ban – both smokers and non-smokers.

As part of our preparations for going smoke free we wanted to share some common questions and debunk some myths about the ban.

  1. Will I be allowed to vape on our sites?

Yes! We are in support of vaping in line with the latest guidance from Public Health England and on the advice of our respiratory clinicians who have also reviewed the clinical evidence. Vaping is now recommended as a route to quit or cut down smoking – far less harmful than inhaling tobacco. We will be converting a small number of our smoking shelters to vaping shelters but you will also be allowed to vape outside (keeping a sensible distance from doorways).

Over the next few months we will have roadshows on our sites with vaping products and information so you can find out more.

  1. The ban won’t affect me, as I will nip to my car for a fag…

Sorry, but you won’t be able to do that if you park on Trust car parks. Our sites are smoke free and that includes all of our car parks.

  1. I’ve heard that people will be fined – is that true?

Yes, patients, visitors and colleagues who are found to be smoking on site will be issued a fine. This will be linked in value to our car parking fines. We will have enforcement officers who will be patrolling our sites to make sure that our environment is smoke free.

  1. I will need to take a longer break to go further for a cigarette…

Cigarette breaks are not an entitlement. Your break arrangements should be discussed with your manager to ensure that the needs of the service are met. If you feel that this will cause you problems please think seriously about cutting down or quitting and have a conversation with your manager. There is lots of support available to you.

  1. It will look terrible if people are lining the sites, smoking.

It is inevitable that part of this change will have consequences that are not ideal. We want people to stop smoking but we will have no ability to ban people from smoking outside our boundaries. We would ask people to consider nearby residents and ensure that noise, litter and second hand smoke is kept to a minimum.

Quit Smoking and realise the benefits!

  • You will save money – the average smoker has 13 cigarettes a day, which works out as 364 cigarettes a month. That’s £141 a month and £1,696 a year that you could be saving by not smoking.
  • Your sense of taste will return and you will enjoy the taste of food more.
  • Your breathing and general fitness will improve.
  • The appearance of your skin and teeth will improve.
  • You’ll be more confident in social situations because you won’t smell of stale smoke any more.
  • Your fertility levels will improve, along with your chances

If you would like to quit smoking, be sure to contact occupational health on ext. 3306 to find out more information regarding the employee smoking cessation programmes we offer.