A guide to our Smoke-free Policy

Transcription

1 A guide to our Smoke-free Policy

2 Drawing a line on Smoking Our vision is to create a healthy smoke free environment for our staff, patients and visitors by creating a culture where Professor Sheila Salmon Trust Chairman smokers feel supported and are encouraged to stop smoking. Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust (MEHT) was established as an NHS Trust in 1992 and provides local elective and emergency services to 380,000 people living in and around the districts of Chelmsford, Maldon and Braintree (including Witham). The Trust also provides a county-wide plastics, head and neck and upper gastrointestinal (GI) surgical service to a population of 3.4 million and a supra regional burns service that serves a population of 9.8 million patients. As a healthcare provider it is our duty to promote measures that improve health. We know that the overwhelming majority of our patients would like to see our hospitals become smoke-free and we are taking steps to re-affirm our commitment to an improved environment for all. Smoking is the biggest cause of ill health and premature death in the UK and the Trust is doing everything it can to promote initiatives that will benefit the health & wellbeing of our community. As an NHS employer, we also have a duty to our staff and patients to protect them from the health hazard that smoking represents. Our smoke-free policy applies to staff, patients and visitors to our hospital sites and has been in effect since the 1 st of June The information contained within this guidance document is intended to assist with the successful implementation of the policy. Everyone has a role to play in helping us to achieve our vision to create a healthy smoke free environment and we are keen to lead by example to make a real difference in our community.

3 Our Approach As a Trust we are keen to protect those we serve and those we work with from harmful second hand smoke. We will lead by example, providing a smoke free environment at all Trust buildings. Since the original consultation in 2007, which led to the introduction of our policy, we have had continued support from our stakeholders who supports a healthier environment throughout MEHT, including in and around our buildings, entrances and exits, car parks, walkways and gardens. Our policy applies to everyone attending our hospital sites including all staff, patients, visitors, volunteers and also contractors. You have the Trust s full support in the delivery of this policy. We would like you to feel confident about your role and the contribution you are making to improve the health of staff and patients. Various initiatives have been introduced to create an environment where smokers feel supported and encouraged to stop smoking. We have introduced a red line along the perimeter of the site to set out and encourage an indicative boundary of the Trust s smoke free environment. Signage and health messaging has also been provided at all entrances and in prominent locations around the site. These aim to reinforce the policy aims and sets out health messages relating to smoking at the hospital. What we want to achieve with our smoke free policy: Communicate and explain our smoke free approach to all our stakeholders. Encourage and support smokers to stop smoking through their free local stop smoking service. Train and educate our staff. Encourage all clinical and support staff to make Every Contact Count by offering smokers a referral to a stop smoking service. Build confidence through training so that members of staff feel confident challenging smokers on Trust premises. Stop staff smoking while wearing a recognisable Healthcare uniform or with a visible MEHT ID and when in any vehicle owned, leased or rented by MEHT. Improve our environment by ensuring it is clean and tidy. We will prevent our hospital entrances, pavements, walk ways, car parks, flowerbeds, and open spaces from being littered with discarded cigarette ends.

4 What does the policy mean? As a health service dedicated to fighting illness, we cannot condone an activity which is known to cause disease and early death. Our smoke-free policy therefore sets our ambition to healthier environment on our premises. We believe this policy will have a positive impact on the health of our patients, staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors. For our Patients The Trust s policy applies to all patients. We will support our patients to improve their health and wellbeing, and to play their part in respecting our smoke-free environment. We will support our patients by: Encouraging smokers to accept a referral to a free local stop smoking service. We will encourage self-referral by providing contact information. Routinely offering nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to patients who suffer nicotine withdrawal throughout their admission. Providing and promoting local stop smoking services, commissioned by the local authorities, and available through GP practices, pharmacies and specialist clinics. We will provide information on-site, in leaflets, patient letters and on the Trust s website: Offering additional local stop smoking services to meet the needs of specific community groups. We will challenge those who do not respect the smoke free environment. If a patient becomes angry or violent, the standard Trust policy on zero tolerance is to be invoked. For our Visitors The policy applies to all visitors, irrespective of their circumstances. We will challenge those who do not respect the smoke free environment. We will provide our visitors with a smokefree environment and information about our smoke-free policy. We will actively encourage visitors to improve their health and wellbeing. We will offer visitors who have to spend long periods of time in hospital and suffer nicotine withdrawal a referral to their free local stop smoking service and access to nicotine replacement therapy. The National Stop Smoking line ( ) can also be accessed for further support services. If a visitor becomes angry or violent, the standard Trust policy on zero tolerance is to be invoked. For our local community We are determined to provide a smoke-free environment to promote the safety of those we care for and we ask those who work with us and our local communities to respect this. We believe that we can have a positive impact on health through the reduction of health inequalities and improving life expectancy by taking positive action and going smoke-free.

5 For our Staff The policy applies to all staff, without exception. Staff cannot smoke in buildings, grounds or vehicles owned or leased by the Trust. Staff should respect the indicative red line smoking boundary and should refrain from smoking anywhere inside the red line. If you see a member of staff repeatedly ignoring the policy you should report the incident to the person s line manager. Staff who are finding it difficult to comply with the policy are invited to discuss the issues with their line manager and should be referred to the Occupational Health department for support, and if they wish they can be enrolled onto a smoking cessation programme. Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary procedures. Managers will need to establish their own monitoring arrangements to ensure that the policy is being implemented. Evaluation is carried out continuously and implementation regularly reviewed. If individual staff members challenge their manager on their right to smoke, the manager should refer to the following points: This is a Trust Policy relating to health and safety and is based on the same principles as policies relating to dangerous machinery, toxic substances etc. An employer cannot challenge the employer s right to introduce healthier and safer working practices. The policy is concerned with where someone smokes (rather than whether they smoke). A smoker may use their break to smoke providing they do not smoke anywhere within the red line. If staff need to go off site to smoke during their break, the following applies: In most workplaces within the Trust, breaks are taken in a manner consistent with maintaining minimum staffing levels. Managers need to plan effectively for staff who leave the site on breaks for any reason. In relation to smoking outside the red line, managers may need to liaise with the HR department to assess the impact on staffing levels and the expected / required availability of staff. Staff will not be allowed to smoke offsite during their break if they are in uniform or displaying a Trust ID card. We will support everyone who works with us to improve their health, including full time staff, part time staff and volunteers. Our staff will be offered education, encouragement and the tools necessary to succeed in making a difference. We will ask staff to challenge those who do not follow our smoke free policy. Under no circumstances should a confrontational attitude be adopted or allowed to develop. Smokers should also ensure that they cover their uniform completely and do not display a Trust ID badge whilst smoking during breaks.

6 Our approach to ensuring a smoke free environment To create a smoke free environment the Trust will take every opportunity to help and support smokers who wish to stop smoking. All clinical and support staff are to make Every Contact Count by offering smokers a referral to a stop smoking service. Our Smoke Free Trust policy sets our commitment towards a smoke free site and actions should be taken when the policy is not complied with: If a patient breaches the smoke free policy a senior member of the clinical team would be informed. If non-compliance continues, the consultant or a senior nurse may consider discharging the patient. If a member of staff breaches the policy this will be regarded as misconduct and should lead to formal action within the Trust s Disciplinary Policy. If a volunteer breaches the policy they will be counselled by the voluntary services management. If the breach persists, they could be asked to leave our Trust. If a contractor breaches the policy their employer will be asked to address this. If a visitor breaches the policy they will be reminded about our policy. If non-compliance continues, they will be asked to leave our premises. Patients should be informed at pre-admission and again on admission that it is against our policy to smoke anywhere on our premises. Stop Smoking Support Services

7 For assistance with giving up smoking, please visit our Health Improvement display which is located in the main hospital atrium or alternatively our smoking cessation partner on: Further support is also available from: The Trust s website: Your GP: The NHS Smoke Free Campaign: October 2015 *Our grateful acknowledgement to Barts Health NHS Trust and also Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust for permission to reference printed materials.