Smokers targeted to improve health and cut litter

10:32am Monday 15th October 2012 in News

CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: Dr Neil Munro, right, respiratory consultant for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Darcy Brown, left, health improvement lead for tobacco, and Lee Mack, assistant director for health and wellbeing, launch the Fresher, Cle CAMPAIGN LAUNCH: Dr Neil Munro, right, respiratory consultant for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Darcy Brown, left, health improvement lead for tobacco, and Lee Mack, assistant director for health and wellbeing, launch the Fresher, Cle

SMOKERS are being doubly targeted by two campaigns.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is promising to get tough on people smoking around its hospitals – Darlington Memorial Hospital, Bishop Auckland Hospital, Chester-le-Street Community Hospital and the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City.

Foundation bosses launched their Fresher, Cleaner, Healthier, Greener campaign yesterday, six years after smoking was banned around hospitals.

NHS staff have been given guidance on approaching people who continue smoking around the hospital sites. Anyone caught smoking will be asked to stop or leave.

Meanwhile, Durham County Council neighbourhood wardens in Durham City are cracking down on smokers dropping cigarette butts.

Wardens will offer free cigarette stub pouches and remind smokers that littering can result in an £80 fine.

A week of action is planned, starting next Monday.

Comments(3)

robbithesmoggie says...
1:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12

Expect some nonense from the Pro-Tobacco cult about this. Although most of them are outside our region they like to meddle in our affairs. The most likely nonsense will come from Chas in Suffolk, who will try to argue that the smoking ban doesn't apply outdoors in public areas (it doesn't), and therefore hospital trusts can't make rules for what people do on their land (which they can).
Never look for logic or sense from a member of Chas's cult, they possess neither.

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suzy66 says...
5:48pm Mon 15 Oct 12

Can,t help wondering why our hospitals don,t install smoking shelters like most other hospitals.
Surely this would solve the problem.

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chas says...
7:03pm Sat 20 Oct 12

suzy66. You are correct in that other hospitals are building shelters in order that smokers keep away from entrances.
There is nothing that NHS hospitals can do as smoking is not illegal in open public places. NHS hospitals and their grounds are public places.
Robbithesmoggie say that he has studied law, but says that people are tresspassing if they don't get permission to go in public places.

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