NHS Trust goes 'smokefree' from Wednesday 1 July 2015
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust is now on the countdown to going Smokefree from Wednesday 1 July 2015, when ALL patients, staff and visitors will not be able to smoke tobacco products in ANY building or on land from which Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust operate.
Although the Trust is already a No Smoking organisation, this requirement has not been robustly implemented over all sites. Recent NICE guidance has raised the need to implement truly ‘tobacco smoke free environments’ because of clear evidenced based health rationales. Aside from the obvious health benefits for our patients and staff, the NICE guidance highlights to commissioners that future commissioning arrangements should consider whether services are smoke free.
Josie Spencer, Interim Chief Executive at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “Our new Smokefree policy from 1 July, means that all staff, patients and visitors will be required not to smoke any tobacco products on our NHS premises and requested to refrain from smoking for up to 1 hour prior to a home visit appointment from one of our healthcare professionals.”
“This is in line with healthcare guidance from NICE and is aimed at encouraging individuals to consider the impact that smoking has on their own health and others around them; we trust that everyone will respect and support our new policy.”
A range of options have been developed for patient’s being admitted to a ward, however an important aspect of this work is engagement with community patients who smoke, both to encourage them to consider the impact on their health and to prepare them in case they find themselves being admitted. The Smokefree policy outlines the range of options and support available to patients who are admitted.
During the transition to a truly tobacco Smokefree organisation, the Trust is supporting staff in their attempts to quit smoking by offering them access to local smoke free services. These quit smoking programmes last approximately 12 weeks, during which time staff will be allowed to attend appointments within work time, as long as appointments - which last approximately 15 minutes each - are agreed in advance with their line manager.
All sites will be monitored and everyone who has a need to visit Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust premises are asked to respect our aims to achieve Smoke Free premises.
If you live, work or are registered with a GP in Coventry, you can get free NHS support from the Smokefree Coventry team by calling 0300 200 0011, texting QUIT to 07768 867987 or emailing: smokefree.coventry@covwarkpt.nhs.uk More details about the Coventry service can be found on the Trust website at:www.covwarkpt.nhs,uk/CoventryStopSmoking
If you live in Warwickshire, free stop smoking support is available by calling 0800 085 2917 or texting LIFE to 80800. More details about the Warwickshire service can be found at: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/stopsmoking
If you live in Solihull, the NHS Stop Smoking Service can be contacted by calling 0121 713 8915 or emailing: www.solihullstopsmoking.co.uk