UK: Nottingham UH Trust authorizes Ecigs on grounds

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, after the Scottish NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,  decided to authorize vaping on Trust grounds.

The Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr Stephen Fowlie, announced that the ban on vaping had been lifted to allows restricted use of e-cigarettes. Patients, visitors and staff will now be permitted to vape outside NUH hospitals but not in the buildings.

The decision comes after NUH smoke-free policy was reviewed on April 28 that also commits the Trust to promote smoking cessation services and help for patients and the 14,500 staff members.

In a communication to the media, Dr John Britton, Professor of epidemiology of the University of Nottingham and co-author of the Royal College of Physician (RCP) report on tobacco harm reduction declared: “We need to encourage all patients and visitors who smoke and find it difficult to abstain while in hospital grounds to use medicinal nicotine, or an electronic cigarette. Approving the use of electronic cigarettes is an important step towards achieving completely smoke free hospitals in Nottingham.”

 

NUH runs Queen Medical Centre, City Hospital and Ropewalk House, and provides services to over 2.5 million residents of Nottingham and in its surrounding communities. It is the first NHS Hospital Trust in England and probably not the last one to relax smoke-free policy in favor of e-cigarettes.

“Simple, practical, effective, humane”, a step forward in tobacco harm reduction, as emphasized by Clive Bates in a tweet.

Hospital decides to help smokers quit with #ecigs – simple, practical, effective, humane. @nottmhospitals https://t.co/fLaZNWSllF

— Clive Bates (@Clive_Bates) May 12, 2016