Murray’s cigs ban Hospital now smoke free

Murray Royal Hospital has become officially ‘smoke free’ after a successful trial aimed at stamping out the habit on hospital grounds.

As of Monday, October 2, smoking was not permitted at all mental health sites under NHS Tayside’s remit.

Staff at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth will now ask those who want to smoke to do so outwith the grounds.

This comes after research showed patients suffering from mental health conditions such as psychosis, depression and anxiety who are supported to stop smoking tend to see their mental health symptoms improve.

A pilot test was carried out earlier in the year at the Fair City hospital’s Rannoch and Amulree wards, where staff and patients gave feedback on the proposed plan.

Alison Angus, a clinical in-patient team manager for general adult psychiatry at NHS Tayside, said: “The experience of the pilot wards has been very positive with staff and patients enjoying smokefree environments with evidence of improved healthier lifestyle choices for some patients.

“Updating our smoking policy to include mental health services and supporting patients not to smoke on our grounds and sites is an essential part of providing the best possible care and treatment for all of our patients.”

Andrew Radley, consultant in public health pharmacy at NHS Tayside, added: “We recognise that stopping smoking can be very difficult and want to do all we can to help our patients manage this. Therefore, all patients who smoke will be offered nicotine replacement therapy or other support to help them manage this. We know that these measures significantly increase the chances of people quitting smoking, or managing to abstain whilst in hospital.

“On discharge from hospital, patients will be given information about support services to help them remain smokefree. People who use our services in the community setting will also be given support and advice to help them quit.”

Mr Radley is now encouraging everyone to get behind their new no-smoking policy. He continued: “We are committed to helping the communities that use our services to lead longer, healthier lives.

“We understand that it can be hard to go without a cigarette, particularly at stressful times, however the NHS exists to make everyone’s health as good as possible.

“We know that smoking rates among people with a mental illness are high. However, studies have shown many people with a mental illness want to quit and smoking causes, rather than relieves, stress”