A public consultation on smoking regulations across NHS Greater Glasgow was launched today (Tuesday).

The consultation will allow public and staff to shape new smoking rules covering everything from NHS vehicles to hospital day rooms and entrances to Accident and Emergency units.

Evelyn Borland, Director of Health Promotion at NHS Greater Glasgow, said: "There's well documented evidence that second hand smoke is dangerous to health, so the NHS in Glasgow has a duty to protect its staff, visitors and patients - and a single unified policy across the health service is a must."

Evelyn went on to explain that the draft policy has been designed to support ‘A Breath of Fresh Air' - the tobacco control action plan for Scotland. This document states that "no Scot should be exposed involuntarily to second-hand smoke at work or anywhere else" and people should be encouraged to quit smoking.

The Director of Health Promotion added: "The draft policy also includes support for staff and patients to stop smoking and recognises the contribution the policy can make to smoking prevention and the reduction of smoking rates in the wider community.

"And with the Scottish Executive's proposed ban on smoking in enclosed public places pencilled in for 2006, the introduction of our own policy in the meantime will ensure that NHS Greater Glasgow is prepared to meet the new legislative requirements."

So who's leading this NHS Greater Glasgow smoking consultation?

A working group - representing NHS Greater Glasgow Divisions, patients and staff - submitted a report to NHSGG's Corporate Management Team, who then considered the issues and agreed a draft policy. They are now collecting opinions that they will study before going back to the Board with a new version of the policy.

Proposals in the first draft of the new policy include:

• Making all NHS Greater Glasgow property - including buildings; vehicles and grounds - smoke-free, with the exception of long-stay areas such as residential and psychiatric inpatient facilities;
• As a staged process, staff being allowed to smoke in grounds for the first year after the policy is introduced;
• Offering all staff and patients who smoke easy access to smoking cessation advice.

So how can the public access this draft policy in full and put forward their views on it?

The full policy that's now out to consultation can be viewed at www.nhsgg.org.uk/smoking , or people can obtain a printed version of this from Smoking Concerns on 0141 201 9825. An online consultation form is available on the internet section, but views can also be put in writing to Shirley Gordon, NHS Greater Glasgow, Dalian House, 350 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G3 8YZ, or can be faxed to 0141 201 4733 or can be emailed to [email protected]

The consultation will close on May 30, 2005 and it's hoped that the final version of the policy will be approved by the Board and put into practice across NHS Greater Glasgow later this year.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• 15% of Second Hand Smoke (SHS) is visible and 85% is invisible odourless gas
• There is no safe level of exposure to SHS
• 80% of asthmatics say SHS is a trigger for their attacks
• Three million workers in the UK are exposed to SHS
• SHS causes more than 1,000 deaths each year in the UK
• Smoking is the biggest single preventable cause of premature death in the UK, killing half its long-term users.
• In Greater Glasgow NHS Board area 33% of the population smokes, rising to 37% if only Glasgow City is considered.These figures are higher than the average for Scotland and the UK as a whole.
• A recent survey[i] found that in Glasgow City, 63% of the ‘sample' spent some or all of their day in places where others smoke.In the more deprived areas this figure rose to 71%.
• For help to stop smoking contact: Smoking Concerns 201 9825 www.smokingconcerns.org.uk