Our smokefree Trust
We are now a smokefree Trust. This means that service users and inpatients will no longer be able to smoke in our hospitals, buildings or grounds.
This includes our gardens and designated smoking areas. Service users and inpatients will need to go outside our grounds if they wish to smoke.
We relaxed our smokefree policy for our service users and inpatients during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are now reinstating guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which recommends that all NHS hospital sites, including mental health hospitals, are smokefree.
We want to promote healthy choices and provide a safe environment for all. We are here to support our service users to either temporarily cut down or stop smoking.
Smokefree Trust already applies to our staff and visitors.
Which services will be smokefree and when?
- From Monday 27 November 2023 our adult inpatients, learning disability services, neurological rehab unit (NRU) and stroke rehabilitation unit (SRU) will be smokefree.
- From Monday 15 January 2024 our older adult services and adult mental health rehabilitation services will be smokefree.
Our forensic wards are already smokefree.
What happens when I am admitted to a ward?
If you are admitted to one of our inpatient wards, one of the healthcare team will offer advice and support as soon as possible after admission. This will include:
- One to one support and advice
- Individual care plan to support you while you are in a smokefree environment
- Guidance about appropriate nicotine replacement therapy and access to electronic cigarettes (vapes).
Any tobacco products, cigarettes, lighters or matches will be safely stored away by a member of staff and returned to you on discharge. Alternatively, they can be given to a family member or carer to take with them.
Can I use electronic cigarettes (vapes)?
Service users and inpatients can continue to use Trust approved e-cigarettes (vapes) within our hospital buildings and grounds. People are asked to speak to their healthcare team about where you are able to use an e-cigarette and which types are allowed.
Is anyone exempt?
No. All service users and inpatients will need to go outside our grounds if they wish to smoke.
Can I purchase Trust approved vapes from a local shop?
If there is a local shop where you can buy a Trust approved vape you can purchase these. Before you make a purchase, please speak to your healthcare team. This is so you have accurate information on what to purchase and to discuss how many you can buy so that we have somewhere safe to store them when you bring them onto the ward. Any purchases that are not Trust approved vapes will not be able to be used within our site – so please do check.
Help and advice on quitting smoking
In Barnsley there is an onsite tobacco treatment team who will treat your withdrawal symptoms throughout your inpatient stay and can help you to cut down or quit altogether. Email them for more information: QUITBarnsley.OakwellUnit@swyt.nhs.uk
In all other areas the NHS Yorkshire Smokefree Service give specialist support to help you quit smoking. For more information, visit their website: https://yorkshiresmokefree.nhs.uk/
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