Hi,
I have had my ePetition to the Prime Minister accepted.
The petition is to ban smoking on NHS sites to protect people with breathing difficulties. See petition for details.
If you agree with my petition please sign it at
petitions.pm.gov.uk/NHSsmok...
Thanks,
William
I thought it had already been banned on NHS sites, including in cars and car parks on NHS premises. Or is that just down in Devon?
I was about to say when I was at the hospital the other week, also in Devon, and a few weeks ago somewhere else there were definitely no smoking signs all around the grounds. So it cant *just* be Devon.
xxx
Its not banned in Kidderminster, Worcester, Redditch, Birmingham (Selly Oak, QE, Heartlands, Birmingham Chest Clinic, City Hospital (dudley road)) etc so there's a long way to go.
I have had to visit above sites recently so I know first hand that smoking is allowed.
There are designated smoking shelters but there are rarely used and security is powerless to enforce it - I have asked!
Thanks to all who have already signed, more please!
best regards,
William.
It seems that each trust can choose its policy - Dudley Group of Hospitals also has smoking only in designated smoking shelters.
It's not true that security is powerless to enforce, it's just that they can't be bothered to! The existing bans are unfortunately not covered by law - only smoking within 10m of the building (or inside it) is.
If the government banned smoking on all sites, then the law *would* cover this - so get signing the petition!
smoking is banned everywhere within the grounds of my local (basildon hospital), people still ignore this sometimes, also its not nice seeing all the hospital workers gathered outside smoking, at each entrance into the hospital grounds! Theres even a big sign saying this is a smokefree hospital.
Here we get the annoying voice tannoy things : This is \a non smoking hospital- kindly refrain from smoking anywhere on the hospital site, it doesnt work thou, theres the area outside a/e at the royal everybody smokes, the staff seem to listen thou they stand outside the hospital entrances smoking- how proffessional looking.
certainly bannned in devon and bristol sothwest
Its banned within the grounds of my local too, but they just congregate on the wall outside the hosp which doesnt look good, i can see them now from my cubicle window!!
Andrea xxx
I have signed the petition. My local hospital also already doesn't allow smoking onsite but I agree if nothing else it makes sense to have NHS sites as non smoking sites by law.
Thanks for signing the petition. A national ban will also help people who go on holiday/visit other places in the UK. If you are referred to a specialist UK hospital without a ban, eg Heartlands, then you'll have to put up with smoke inhalation at EVERY entrance.
Keep the signatures coming. Help others too, please.
An alternative short term method of dealing with smokers, smoking where they should not be is to report it to your local environmental health department.
>> malawi 05 Jun 08 7:30pm
>> An alternative short term method of dealing with smokers, smoking where they should not be is to report it to your local environmental health department.
A good suggestion, but this doesn't cover the problem where they smoke at the edge of covered entrance, forcing you to go through their smoke.
I have contacted our local office but they are not interested unless they are under a covered area with 50% sides covered. Local hospital does not have any covered sides.
An asthma consultant at our local hospital has written numerous letters to the Chief Exec but nothing gets done. The only way to solve this problem is through law.
Please sign the petition to help stop fellow asthmatics from suffering unnecessarily, wherever they live in the UK.
Good idea, I will sign.
My local hospitals both have a clear policy of banning smoking on hospital grounds, inside and outside, but this is not enforced so one still has to run the gauntlet of smokers outside every entrance. The security guards have no interest in enforcing the rule. Last time I was in the City hospital, two years ago (I am usually in the other hospital) there were double doors opening out onto a patio and there was a patient (a young girl with CF) who was persistently smoking out there, to the detriment of her own health and that of others. The smoke blew back onto the ward, and it meant that it was impossible for me to sit outside in the sun.
I have written to the Chief Executive about this issue several times. When I was working at the hospital I even wrote to say that they were failing in their duty to provide me with a safe working environment - I wish now that I had taken them to the small claims court with this claim.
Em H
I've signed the Petition.
Sick of the Smokers congregating round the entrance
If not a complete ban, then limit them to a little remote corner of the Car Park.
""the Government does not intend to make any non-enclosed place smokefree.""
Hi all,
I tried to get the minister for health to sign the petition but one of his underlings replied. Extract of reply below. As you can read ""the Government does not intend to make any non-enclosed place smokefree."" . Please don;t leave it to someone else, as if there is not enough response to this petition the government won't listen. Please can you get as many people as possible to sign the petition.
Thanks to all the people who have already signed.
William Walker
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dear Mr Walker,
Thank you for your email of 5 June to the Department of Health about smoking in NHS premises.
As a staff member of a Government department, I am unable to sign your petition. I am able to advise you though, that the Health Act 2006 applies to virtually all enclosed, and substantially enclosed, public places and workplaces but not to open areas e.g. parks or streets. The Health Act 2006 includes powers to make regulations for specific non-enclosed places to be smokefree if there is ""significant risk that, without designation, persons present there would be exposed to significant quantities of smoke"". At present, the Government does not intend to make any non-enclosed place smokefree.
Some NHS Trusts have decided to include grounds as well as buildings in their smokefree policies. Smoking just outside the entrance to hospital buildings can give a very poor impression, as well as a cloud of smoke for patients, staff and visitors to walk through. Resources spent on clearing smoking litter, or building and maintaining smoking shelters, may be much better spent on providing treatment and support for smokers to stop.
I hope this information has been of help.
Yours sincerely,
Ria MacQueen
Department of Health
Smoking is already named in hospital and grounds why don't police do something about this .or are they to scared.to offended smoker's.
Petition for face to face GP appointments
Prime Numbers
Prescription charges for people with Asthma 
