Smoking

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 20

Smoking

Sir, —On February 3, I visited i a patient at the Queen Mary ! Hospital, Hanmer Springs. On 1 entering the public ’ reception area, I was appalled to see the sole uniformed occupant almost J indistinct 'in a heavy haze of acrid cigarette smoke. I consider i this to be obnoxious, and quite unacceptable in a public (and, in particular, 'a hospital) area. I understand that the Canterbury Hospital Board is actively promoting the inception of its own > cardiac unit. If it continues to condone smoking in its own premises, it will obviously need it. Does it, indeed, have a policy regarding staff smoking in public areas?—Yours, etc., Mrs G. SCOTT. March 5, 1988.

[The chairman of the Canterbury Hospital Board, Mr T. C. Grigg, replies: “The board recognises that hospitals have an important role to play in promoting non-smoking, as a step towards better health, and it accepts the responsibility of providing hospital patients with an environment which is not injurious to their health. Consequently, the board has a policy on smoking in hospitals by patients, visitors and members of the staff. One provision of that policy is that staff members are not to smoke in areas open to the public. The responsibility for ‘policing’ the policy lies with heads of departments. The incident to which Mrs Scott refers has been drawn to the attention of the appropriate officers.”]