Sandwell NHS trust praised for tough smoking stance
An NHS trust has been hailed as an example for others to follow as its efforts to tackle smoking were hailed by Englands head of public health.
Smoking has been banned within the grounds of Sandwell and Birmingham City hospitals and those who flout the rules face fines of up to £50.
Two vaping shops have also been opened at Sandwell Hospital where staff are offered discounts as an incentive to give up cigarettes, in a move which made national headlines.
Duncan Selbie, chief executive of Public Health England, hailed the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, which runs the hospitals, as an "exemplar" for others to follow.
He spoke to staff at Sandwell Hospital, in West Bromwich, about the campaign which was launched in July, during a whistlestop tour of the site.
Mr Selbie said: "I visited the hospital to learn about how the trust has gone smoke free and will pass this on to other NHS organisations. It’s such a powerful thing to see and it’s going to make the biggest difference to people’s health.
"Smoking is still the biggest killer and today alone in this country, 220 people will die early because they smoke.
“I have also heard how the wards are giving people support through nicotine replacement therapy and also e-cigarettes, which for a smoker is a sensible alternative choice. The way the trust is approaching this is an exemplar - there is something here for everyone within the NHS to learn from.”
He added: “As a hospital chief executive in my previous life we put a lot of effort into this, but we never quite succeeded, because we didn’t go at it with every possible thought and involvement from every member of staff.
"Here, that is what they are doing. There are posters and big signs but there are also people here to help or point you in the right direction – and this is the secret to their success that we all need to take on board. If you want to learn how to be smoke free come here and see how it can be done.”
Respiratory consultant Dr Arvind Rajasekaran said: "Since the ban, we have heard some fantastic stories from members of staff who have quit smoking because of the ban and this has brought them tremendous health benefits.
“The smoke free initiative is one step in our bigger campaign of ensuring clean air for patients, staff and visitors. To paraphrase what Mr Selbie said, we wouldn’t drink dirty water so why should we accept to breathe in polluted air.”
