From 1st April 2015, all NHS Lothian buildings and grounds became Smokefree. This was a requirement set out in the Scottish Government’s Tobacco Strategy 2013-2018.
Within the Royal Edinburgh Hospital 2 facilitators were employed to implement the Smokefree policy. A Smokefree implementation working group was formed including staff from multiple disciplines and senior management.
Actions identified:-
- Promotion of the Smokefree grounds policy with staff and patients.
- Conducting staff briefing and short training sessions
- A communication plan which included written literature.
Current barriers identified:-
- Staff resistance and non compliance
- Competing priorities, staff unable to attend training
- Lack of patient compliance
Positive changes :-
- Increase in patient cessation rates
- Reduction of patient medication
To benchmark current, and standardise future practice within the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, a questionnaire was developed for senior charge nurses and a mapping exercise undertaken 6 months post implementation. The outcomes of this highlighted areas which could be improved for future practice, staff training opportunities and has resulted in the steering group, led by hospital senior management, coming together again to ensure continued compliance with the policy. The results of this exercise were presented at the national Scottish Cessation Conference 2015 and as a result of this presentation, the Health Scotland’s Health Promoting Health Services have requested a professional profile to showcase this as best practice.
