Good Hope urges public to back their smoke free hospital

Good Hope Hospital backed National No Smoking Day today (Wednesday Mar 8) by urging visitors and patients to support its status as a smoke-free hospital.

There are now no areas in the hospital where smoking is allowed. Smokers must go to one of three smoking shelters in the hospital grounds if they want to light up.

Now new signs have been put up outside main hospital entrances informing members of the public that these are also designated as no smoking areas.

One person who agrees with the hospital�s approach is Auxiliary Nurse Amanda Marshall. She had her last cigarette on Tuesday evening and quit smoking on National No Smoking Day.

Amanda, 39, from Sutton, said: �I�ve wanted to give up for a long time but never did anything about it. I chose National No Smoking Day because it seemed like a good time to give up. I really want to do it now. I know it seems silly but I�ve even been dreaming about giving up.�

Amanda said she�s quitting smoking for her four children and to keep fit. She added: �They hate smoking and keep asking me to give up. My partner has also given up � so I�m also doing it for them. I also play netball and none of my team mates smoke. I just want to be fitter and healthier.�

Amanda was being helped through her first day without cigarettes by chewing nicotine gum.

She received support from smoking-cessation advisers from North Birmingham Primary Care Trust, who spent the day at Good Hope Hospital advising staff, patients and visitors.

Stop smoking adviser Pauline Beale said: �Amanda has the right attitude. The most important factor in quitting is that the smoker needs to be ready to give up. They have to be psychologically prepared.

�We can offer lots of advice and nicotine replacement therapy if that is what a person wants. This is available in gum, inhalers, nasal sprays, patches, microtabs or lozenges.�

Good Hope�s own respiratory nurses were offering similar advice in the hospital�s treatment centre and its smoking cessation midwife had a stand in the maternity unit.

This year�s National No Smoking Day campaign slogan is �Serious about quitting� � complete with a big question mark made up of cigarette butts and ash.

Pauline said: �We are encouraging people to be serious about quitting. This year is a great opportunity to take control and stop smoking before the ban on smoking in public places comes into force next year � and smokers are even more restricted in where they can light up.

�We�ve been really pleased with the response from staff, patients and visitors. It�s clear that a lot of people want to give up smoking.�

Campbell Strefford, the Facilities General Manager at Good Hope Hospital, said: �We want to get the message across that we support people who don�t want to be bothered by smoke and want to be protected from the harmful effects of smoking.

�We don�t allow smoking in the hospital building, but we realised we needed to do more to remind people that the areas around our entrances are also smoke-free areas. In all cases, there is a smoking shelter just a few metres away.�

For more information, contact Andy Comber, Head of Communications, at Good Hope NHS Trust: 0121 378 2211 ext 1146, Mob: 07974 575104.

Source : Good Hope