From this time last year patients, staff and visitors were no longer permitted to smoke anywhere within our hospital grounds, either inside or outside the buildings.
Designated smoking shelters were removed from both the Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley District Hospital sites, and anyone wishing to smoke was now required to leave the premises.
Gail Naylor, Nursing and Midwifery Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said, “Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of ill health and premature death in the UK, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect patients, visitors and staff from the harm caused by smoking, and exposure to secondary smoke. As an NHS organisation, we want to give a simple and unambiguous message that smoking is harmful to health. Unfortunately, we are still facing some challenges in ensuring that people are not smoking on site, and are working on this currently. “Smoking is an addiction, and we recognise that many people find it difficult to stop smoking, or do not want to quit. “We ask our patients about their smoking status when they come to our hospitals for treatment, so we can provide advice and support, including nicotine replacement therapy, to help them stop smoking either temporarily whilst in our care, or as the initial step on the journey to stopping smoking entirely.”
Anyone who is thinking about stopping smoking should contact the Quit Squad Freephone 0800 328 6297.
Evidence shows that the quit rate amongst patients who access support from stop smoking services is significantly higher than when you try to stop smoking on your own.