Anti-smoking officers to patrol Kings Mill hospital site

Although the site is officially smoke-free, smoking and litter from cigarettes has remained a problem, particularly near main entrances.

Patients and visitors have also still been seen smoking outside of the main building and the Emergency Department.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, which runs the facility, has pledged to make its hospital sites smoke-free in 2017.

As well as urging people not to light up, patrols will give advice about quitting, talk to people about littering and issue fines to repeat offenders.

Chair of Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, Peter Marks said: “We want to make our hospitals healthy and safe environments, so we are asking patients, visitors and staff to be mindful of others health and not to smoke on our sites to protect others against the harmful effects of second hand smoke.”

Councillor Jim Aspinall, Ashfield District Council’s portfolio holder for health and wellbeing said: “It is encouraging to be working in partnership with Sherwood Forest Hospitals to help people to quit smoking. This is the time of year when many try to give up, so additional support can only help to achieve these goals.

“The Council is conscious that health and wellbeing is a major contributing factor to achieving a vibrant place to live and is very supportive of schemes such as this, which contribute to the health and happiness of our residents.”

Sherwood Forest Hospitals public governor, Debra Barlow, who had a double lung transplant last year said: “People really do need to be mindful of others when they think about smoking outside the front entrance of the hospital. I have to visit the hospital for regular check-ups and having to walk through smoke to get to the entrance is really quite distressing for me, as I am sure it is for others who don’t want to breathe in people’s smoke. Having had a double lung transplant, it’s even more important for me to look after my lungs and make sure I am not inhaling damaging smoke.

“I remember coming into King’s Mill with an oxygen tank, it was hard enough to breathe with the aid of oxygen, without having to navigate through the smoke as I approached the front doors. There’s very clear signage right outside the main buildings saying that it is a smoke-free site and people should be respectful of this and smoke well away from the hospital. I am really pleased that the Trust is taking some preventative action.