UCLH chief wants total smoke-free zone

UNIVERSITY College London Hospital is bringing in a blanket smoking ban across all of its sites and even plans to stop anyone from puffing on a cigarette outside their buildings.
Speaking at a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss proposals to ban smoking in pubs, clubs and restaurants, UCLH chief executive Robert Naylor unveiled plans to ban smoking from all the eight hospitals under his wing.
He said: “10,000 die from smoke related diseases in London alone. 1,100 beds are taken up with smoke related illnesses. If we were to ban smoking nationwide we would save £100 million a year – that’s enough to build several brand new hospitals. We are banning smoking from outside our buildings. All hospitals will be smoke free by next year.”
The debate, organised by Labour Councillor Lucy Anderson, featured a panel of four who spoke on the issue and then fielded questions.
Alongside the hospital boss was Nathan Hall, operations director of JD Wetherspoons, Richard Ascough, Legal Officer of the GMB union, and Murad Qureshi, deputy chairman of the London Assembly’s environmental committee.
Camden has a 10 per cent more smokers than the national average, with 35 per cent smoking compared to 25 per cent across the country.
Pro-smoking campaigner Tracy Warnes, who lives in Somers Town, said this policy would cause patients unnecessary grief at a difficult time.
She said: “You are just bullying smokers who can harm no one but themselves when in the open air. All this means is that they will have to drag themselves further for a smoke. People shouldn’t be forced not to smoke when in such stressful circumstances.”
Mr Hall of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain said: “Right now 75 per cent of the public are non-smokers.
“As more and more give up, less and less will want to sit in smoky pubs. It may seem revolutionary now, but there will be a time when this is the norm.”