I think it is not only not a legal requirement to stop people smoking in hospital grounds, it is cruel. Whilst you may disapprove of smoking personally, considering that patients and visitors will often be there under the most stressful circumstances, you are adding to their stress by prohibiting smoking, and in any case by imposing a total ban, you will drive it underground and lose control of where people smoke. Our nearest major hospital did initially impose a total ban on smoking in the grounds (which was largely ignored), but did eventually provide a smoking shelter outside A&E, which seems a reasonable compromise to me. During the time that a total ban was in place, I saw one of the rear entrances where staff went to smoke, which seemed a double standard to me.

..cruel? wow heard it all now... :) Sorry but what IS cruel is forcing smoke down other peoples throats just because you think it is cool or that is your choice...fine but it isn't mine and I have the rights too.. Sorry for the rant and my views on Smoking are well know here...but really ..cruel? come on..Referee? When you look at some of the countries I work in and the ones that have Smoking in thier 'cultures' there is a significantly higher mortatlity rate through Smoking related diseases than those countries that have implemented cessation or reduction through education and legislation. We all want to live forever...so how can Smoking help that? I say implement the ban ...yes there will always be the 'hard liners' who will complain about it for the sake of sticking 2 fingers to the 'establishment' and you may have to make some compromises but is just a small percentage of People give up as a result it is workth it...but to accept somthing and continue to burden a heatcare System that is already at breaking Point...is that acceptable? Sorry I will put angry Scotsman back in his box now... sorry for being a bit of a drag.. sorry couldn't resist that one. :)

As a smoker if I were in prison or an institution for the sake of my mental health I am legally permitted to smoke indoors despite the effects of my second hand smoke upon others including those whose employment duties involve my incarceration or care i.e. those the legislation was intended to protect. As a "sane" law abiding citizen whilst I accept my personal choices are contrary to my on-going health and will comply with laws written for the common good I find the imposition of site wide bans in large publicly accessible sites abhorrent. No patient or relative ever really chooses to be in hospital, and hospitals with their staff are present solely because there are patients. It is inevitable in current society a proportion of site attendess will be smokers which given the presence of highly flammable materials together with vulnerable persons the sensible provision for the premises occupier is to control the activity within designated areas rather than forcing the issue underground generating potential fire risk. SDM it is cruel - that first cigarette on getting outside the airport after a long haul flight gives nearly the same rush as the one that started this damned addction in the first place. The Health Care system has many strains - old buildings, a large "market force" management structure, an increasingly overweight / ageing population etc. whilst I may at some stage try quitting smoking (again) I dont't have the ability to completely stop eating or ageing.

You seem quite aggressive, this is a forum you know and people will have different opinions to yours...maybe you should go have a cigerette and relax.

ah another smoker Pops up....well sorry not meant to be agressive and I am sure there are lots more smokers on here waiting to have a go...you are right there are other opinions and I do respect them just as you/they should respect mine. What is the result of Smoking too much...coffin.. :) Come on that was funny..

So SteveDM the solution you propose would be a national ban? I would definately be richer and presume I would eventually become healthier. And once we have sorted out smoking why stop there - the obese, the drunkards, the aged....all drains on health and social care coffers. Sorry "coffin" is the current consequence of being born - only the rate of arrival differs

Smoking in hospital ground should be banned, and the ban enforced with very harsh fines. If I go to hospital I go to be made better not to suffer the second hand smoke of disgusting smokers. I would ban smoking in all public places and only allow it in a persons home. I would also hike the prices up year on year and ban anyone who smokes from access to the NHS. I am a bit of an anti smoker!

Just to be contrary, how about encouraging smoking :-)... It has many benefits, it stops people dying of old age, and the consequential cost to the NHS of looking after all these senile people. If we hike the prices of tobacco, and hypothecate it to the NHS it might even improve the finances. It will improve the job prospects for the young, increase the turnover of houses. The only down side is people die younger than they should, so confine smokers to ‘smoking dens’ or their own homes and publicise the fact that these people are being socially responsible by killing themselves off before they become a burden to society! This is joke before the serious minded start taking it too literally.

getting back to the post for a minute...SBH you can see there is a lot of emotion around change...I didn't get involved in safety because it was easy...quite the opposite..it is a challenge and if I can save just one life by going through a little bit of pain myself and not taking the easy route then I've done my job... We seem to make great headway against thing like asbestosis why do we fall at this hurdle by bowing to pressure...if it is the right thing it is the right thing...everything else is just smoke and mirrors...aaawwh come on that was funny.. Sorry I was getting way too serious...I will have to have some analgesia...aaahh red wine..

well well another one...yes I do everyone has a view right or wrong and they are entitled to it...ever heard of healthy debate? (no pun intended)..I have news for you there are surprising amount of NHS staff that smoke....so according to your view we should put up with it because tobacco sales generate more revenue? obesity is a drain on the system so are people who take risk on motorbikes..and yes if you wish to kill your liver with alcohol it is your right...I would probably say good luck to you but don't expect me to justify spending thousands of pounds trying to extend your life when the money could be better spent elsewhere..... you made your choices you live with it...don't expect me to sit back and agree with you just because you shout louder... Those that can do those that can't...

Just to take issue with one of the flat assertions made earlier in this thread... We do NOT all 'want to live forever'... I don't! It only means being old for longer (forever?) And having felt old for the past year or so, another forty years will likely be more than enough thank you very much indeed. And I wouldn't have wanted to live young, ignorant and stupid forever either..

Good points. Another thing that winds me up is the misuse of the limitations on smoking in the 2006 Health Act. There is, for instance, an exemption for hotel rooms provided they meet certain requirements, which most would do anyway. However, most hotel chains have now prohibited smoking in all their rooms, with claims such as 'for the comfort of all our guests'. Really? Certainly not for the comfort of smokers, who are forced to go outside the hotel and smoke in the cold and rain. Not even for the comfort of non-smokers, as they are no longer exposed to passive smoke in the rest of the hotel. This prohibition is actually about saving the hotel money on decoration in the long term, but none of them are honest enough to admit this. The clue is there in the penalty charges imposed if you ignore the prohibition and smoke in your room, where often the cost of cleaning the room afterwards is cited (£250 for opening the windows and changing the linen?). I would agree that people should be encouraged to quit smoking, but not forced. Call me old-fashioned, but there are issues of personal freedom involved. As to pouring NHS resources into treatment that could be spent elsewhere, this could open up a whole new debate as to where the NHS should spend their money. Cosmetic surgery, breast implants, fertility treatment, as just three examples. Discuss.

Doing this job sometimes feels like trying to eat an elephant!!

stopping people using 'hard' drugs e.g. nicotine to help them and everybody else get more healthy is a very long and hard process even when we have all the evidence to show just how bad it is and the powers that be get lots of tax and profit from the disgusting practise. However to progress we must stick at it and try, using valuable resources which nobody wants to do so they just write policies, to stamp the practice out and continue to use a number of strategies to manage the area Noting the great success we have had in pubs, planes etc. which smokers said would not happen we should continue along that line for all but the individual patent involved & stop the practice on all areas of such sites as people can easily refrain* if they really want to and have a care for their own and others health [**I take this line via guidance from the many smokers I have interviewed over the years who have stopped smoking so it is not just my feelings on the subject it is the opinion of many experts!] its interesting to note that if a person got a bottle of vodka out at an entrance or a needle to inject heron and started openly drinking /injecting everybody would be up in arms even though they are not spraying the vodka / heron about in the air so as all passer buys get a bit as do smokers spreading their contamination NB: it is proven that heron is less addictive than nicotine! And vaporing [after my personal extensive research] should be treated in the same way as smoking irrespective of the above those with the power do not want to do any real managing so U may be a lone voice -- best of luck

Asked not awed.. Apologies