NHS bid to stub out cigarette menace near sick.
Scotland’s biggest health board has declared it is finally winning the war against smokers who light up outside hospitals.
There has been a 56% fall in the number of people caught puffing on cigarettes in the six months since wardens were brought in to patrol hospital grounds according to figures compiled by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The drop also coincides with a rebranding of hospital entrances to make it clear smoking is not allowed and the introduction of huge no-smoking posters.
But last night, the board warned: “There is still a long way to go.”
The NHS claims the blitz against smokers has been so successful it’s being extended until March.
Now campaigners want other areas to follow suit. Sheila Duffy, of anti-smoking lobby group ASH Scotland, said: “It’s welcome news that the wardens have reduced the number of people smoking in hospital grounds.
“We’re delighted the initiative is being extended into next year.
“It’s part of a vital national drive to reduce the harm from tobacco and to put smoking out of fashion for the next generation.
“We hope other NHS boards will have similar success using wardens and visible reminders to underline their policies.”
All of Scotland’s 14 health boards have outlawed smoking on hospital grounds.
They acted after the Scottish Government set a target of all hospitals being “smoke-free” by 2015. However, a Sunday Post probe laid bare the challenges the NHS face in stubbing out the problem.
Our reporters and photographers captured hundreds of patients, visitors and staff smoking outside hospital entrances.
We even found some puffing away just feet from a children’s cancer ward and others lighting up at the doors of a maternity unit.
The issue is now one of the biggest sources of complaints among people staying in and visiting hospitals.
It was this that prompted officials at NHS GG&C to paint warnings at hospital doorways and introduce wardens.
The board’s Fiona Dunlop, said: “The impact of this campaign has been fantastic but there is still a long way to go to persuade everyone to respect our smoke-free hospital grounds policy.
“To have achieved a reduction of 56% in smokers lighting up at entrances in just months is something we are very proud of.
“Nonetheless, we still have a hard core of smokers who refuse to adhere to the policy, and that is why we have decided to extend the presence of the wardens on our biggest sites.”
She added that since the crackdown the number of complaints from people angry about smokers polluting doorways has fallen by 18%.
Michael Matheson, minister for public health, said the Scottish Government is committed to reducing exposure to second hand smoke.
He said: “Scotland’s health service should be an exemplar in providing smoke-free environments, that is why we have set a target for smoke-free hospital grounds by 2015.”
Additional reporting by Janet Boyle
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