I have just returned from visiting my local hospital.  Now one expects not to smoke in hospital, but now there are No Smoking signs in the open air carpark which is at least 100 yards from the main building.

Have the powers that be, not thought of patients that have just been given a bad diagnosis.  Or relatives of loved ones who are very ill or worse. 

I have no problem with the ban in enclosed public buildings, but an  open air car park........

Perhaps its a fire hazard?

I know that at our local hospital smokers congregate around the main entrance puffing away - so new mums and new babys have to walk through the smoke on their way homes! And it does waft over you...

You dont live in Lincolnshire do you>?????
Am sure i heard on the news that they were going to do that to a load of hospitals around here, but I havnt been to one lately to find out.
I wondered what people who have been told some awful news what they are meant to do.
Although it does disgust me when I walk into the main entrance, there are people in wheel chairs on drips AND even seen one on oxygen before now  puffing away, shivering because it was so cold!!!!!!
And I used to smoke, i went in to have a major operation 9 years ago on 25th March and was in intensive care over night and in hospital for 5 days!!! Last fag I had was on way into hospital, and then I didnt have another one until they unwired my jaws 6 weeks later,
I didnt even dream of asking the nurses if I could go to the entrance to puff on a fag!!!
Lea :)

This is Tunbridge Wells.  I could even understand if they banned from the immediate entrances, but the car park and all outside areas of the hospital is taking things a bit far IMO :rolleyes:

Us smokers are a dying breed :rolleyes: :D

I could even understand if they banned from the immediate entrances, but the car park 
I agree!!!!
They could at least put bus stop like booths up further away from the entrance so that people can go there and kill themselves away from us who like to breathe clean air ;)
(thats a serious suggestion BTW!)
Lea :)

Thats a good idea Lea, we have that outside our building at work, least our ciggies don't go out in the rain either ;)

They are set to ban it in the grounds of our local hospital too, so I assume that means the car parks too.  I remember about 10 years ago visiting friends in hospital and wheeling their beds into the smoking room

About 20 years ago you didn't have to wheel the bed anywhere to smoke, on the orthopaedic ward at least :).
The nurses discouraged it during ward rounds :D

That is a very good idea Lea.

I am sure a total ban is much more of a fire risk as people will just try and hide and have one. 

It is not the for or against smoking, all the time the government are happy for them to be sold and take the taxes on them, then it is up to the individual whether they smoke or not, with consideration to others of course. It is the political correctness of it all that I object too and feel this is taking it too far.

I think you will find the ban is on health grounds I have bronchial ashtma & I only need to be within 4/5 yards of someone smoking to have a bad reaction.

BTW I am an ex smoker who quit in 1970 & who has never smoked since

If people want to smoke then that is up to them.  I can understand the point made if you have just had upsetting news etc, but for people who dont smoke having to walk through crowds of people that do congregate around hospitals it really isnt very nice.

The reason for making the smoke free Zone so large outside is to protect those inside the building. Smoke drifts and if people smoke any closer to the building the ventilation systems suck the smoke into the building poisoning the staff! Some nurses at my hospital flaunt the rules and smooke close to the building, and all their smoke comes in to the operating theatres! its pretty disgusting.  I am not quite sure why many smokers seem to be blind to the fact that smoke drifts. I can smell it if someone is smoking in a car in front of me if i am driving along!

I travel to Ireland alot and as a non smoker I get annoyed at all the people stud outside pubs, bars and restaurants smoking !! Cant win really

Lets both try and consider both sides then, give smokers a place to smoke, which doesn't interfere with the non smokers, who can can inhale carbon monoxide, carcinogenics  et al which most cars give out, not to mention many others. Lets ban cars from hospitals too then :rolleyes:

Oh and try and avoid the biological waste incinerated by your hospital too........no health warnings there are there :D

We have had a smoking ban in the hospital where i work for years now. Smokers were provided with shelters outside the main entrances. Last week however, these were removed and a total ban brought in. This means that there is no smoking on hospital property, including car parks(even in your own car, in the hospital carpark!)and staff residences.
This ban extends to 10 m beyond the boundary wall of the site, so the people who live in the terraced houses backing onto the wall beside my dpt could be prosecuted for smoking in their own homes!! 
All staff have been asked to help police this ban and to politely ask smokers to refrain from said foul habit. Little me? Tackle large hairy Makem! I think not!!

The world has gone mad!

Lynn (puzzled non smoker!)

What makes me wonder is if a smoker wants a fag so badly maybe they will try to sneak one in the toilets and surely thats a hazard if they are prevented from smoking outside?
What can you do? politely ask them to not do it again? you just can't reinforce that unless you have security guards on the loo doors, i hardly think you could throw a sick person out for smoking in the loos?

Then you get the drug addicts that are given their methodone at their bedside seems a bit of double standards in that respect. (they are both an addiction after all)

But giving methadone to an addict doesn't give cancer to someone else who happens to be near them via "passive"drug taking or does it ?

Thats a bit extreme we are talking about an open air situation, not in close quarters.

Don't know why they are doing it but something I don't think smokers realise is how much smoke clings to your hair and clothes.  It doesn't matter if you have smoked outside the smell still lingers and can't be good for patients sensitive to smoke. When I walk around the supermarket I can easily tell if the people standing near to me are smokers.

(ex-smoker of 20/day and the occasional Tom Thumb :))

Smoking should be banned full stop! And they should stop making cancer sticks and accessories altogether!

I hate smoking, 'especially' in open air when someones in front of you and blows out a big puff of crap for me to breathe in!

If people want to inhale such toxic poison and slowly kill theirself, then they should start their car in their garage and do it that way!

Sorry for anyone who smokes, but thats how i feel about it! Its disgusting!

If people want to inhale such toxic poison and slowly kill theirself, then they should start their car in their garage and do it that way!

What a good idea! And then they can "blow out a big puff of crap for you to breathe in" from their exhaust pipe instead!..... Carbon Monoxide's much more lethal than tobacco dear ;)  Do you drive a car? Do you polute the atmosphere every day and make other people breathe in your car's fumes?  I think you probably do.  And so do I.

Sorry but I do get sick of people saying such extreme things.  If you want to argue your point fair enough but these sort of statements get you nowhere.  I've smoked... then I gave up.. then I smoked again...gave up... and so it goes on... for years.  I've seen both sides so I'm not totally biased in one direction or another :)

Ok first of all 'dear' calm down! :rolleyes:

Yes i drive, about once a week for shopping, not everyday! And i dont live in a big built up area, so i dont open my window to the smell of car fumes.

People need cars and public transport to get from A to B, people do NOT need to smoke! What can you gain from smoking appart from death to yourself and others?

Unfortunately, all minds dont think alike!

Here here :D

[deleted]

I dont drink, im pregnant and the thread is about smoking!

Yes it is.  And by your own admission you want to dictate to me whether I should or should not be able to smoke in my own home.  Do you really think that's  right?

I never said anything about you not smoking in your home, thats your choice, i dont like people smoking in public where non smokers have to breathe in others filth!

Unfortunately you did say exactly that.... Smoking should be banned full stop! And they should stop making cancer sticks and accessories altogether!

Like i said, i didnt say to you personally ''you shouldnt smoke in your home''

Ive said my bit, shared my views on the topic, im not prepared to have a one on one argument with a random member if you dont mind, you will just keep on throwing the ball and il just keep wacking it back!

The end.

I thought it was a discussion not an argument

Whatever :rolleyes:

Here's a question for you - what about the rights of the children of parents who smoke to breathe clean air in their own homes?

Isn't that enough of an argument to ban cigarettes? :)

A very good point - IF you have children... which I don't ;)

Then, as you say, thats your decision and your choice to smoke :)

I have to say that I absolutely cannot stand to see pregnant monthers smoking, or smoking whilst pushing their babies in prams.

Me neither, very irresponsible and selfish!

I couldn't agree more.  You have a choice to have children and you have a choice to smoke but your child does not.  I too think it's disgraceful.  Neither do I agree with people smoking in places where there are no smoking signs.  It's a matter of respect for other people - which works both ways - but there's always (or at least I think there should be) somewhere a smoker can go to light up.

I'm perfectly calm thankyou as you can see from my previous post :)

Lets face it.  The argument against smoking (and I'm talking about the "OMG LETS BAN IT.... IT'S THE DEVIL'S WORK!!! type posts) can be applied to a lot more things than smoking.  Let's go for a ban on alcohol - alcohol causes death you know.  Drunk drivers - people who get violent and kill - habitual alcoholics who die of liver disease... yeah!! Lets ban alcohol!!!

Now you (and forgive me if I'm wrong here) probably enjoy a glass of wine or the like sometimes.. yes?  What's the difference between you sitting in your lounge enjoying a glass of wine and me sitting in my lounge enjoying a cigarette? 

If they want to ban smoking in public places then fair enough but I don't believe anyone has the right to say I shouldn't smoke in my own home :)

totally agree with you! And look at the strain smoking related diseases put on the already over stretched national health service! But, of course, with the Govn taking so much in taxes, they are hardly likely to make smoking illegal. would be difficult too, after all there are many drugs that are illegal that are easy to find, so how the hell would anyone be able to 'police' smoking! Nice idea tho.....and yes, Im an ex smoker.

I think it is fair to say that smoking kills more people than the toxic fumes from cars?  Maybe I am wrong but there are not adverts on the TV telling us to stop driving as our kids will be left without parents etc!  I also used to smoke and never really enjoyed it to be honest so quit - I absolutely hate smoking now, it makes your hair and cloths smell, it makes my eyes water and makes me feel awful - I am so pleased they have enforced a ban cos I actually stopped going to pubs and many restaurants as I cant handle the smoke!  I understand many people still smoke and I personally don't see the problem if they are a good distance from a building and not in the path way of anyone walking passed.

My neighbour sometimes comes to my house smoking standing at the door - my house stinks of smoke for about 2 hours after even with my in scent sticks on the go LOL!

Unfortunately smoking smells more and aggravates more people than car fumes.

Well said!! :D

NO smoking in the grounds of the hospital in hartlepool either, there are big signs every where but no one is enforcing it and they still gather around the main reception doors and smoke, so all that money wasted on signs etc and big poster campaign and every one ignores it, the money could of been spent on something better, but that is the NHS know it alls i suppose,
carol

"I think it is fair to say that smoking kills more people than the toxic fumes from cars?  Maybe I am wrong but there are not adverts on the TV telling us to stop driving as our kids will be left without parents etc!"

Technology in car development is constantly evolving to make it so they ommit far less fumes full stop, therefore are far less 'harmful' to the atmosphere and in turn to people/plants/animals health   Will cigarette manufacturers follow suit?  I don't think so! :rolleyes:

Em, the last mesg of mine, which should be above this one,  was to Bluesmum regading a total ciggy ban, how did it get so far away lol

Sometimes they can get a bit muddled, or if someone replies first or something :)

>hell would anyone be able to 'police' smoking

Well you wouldn't need sniffer dogs would you?  Just ex-smokers :D :D

LOL.....nice one!

I totally agree with Blues mum!

"Lets both try and consider both sides then, give smokers a place to smoke, which doesn't interfere with the non smokers, who can can inhale carbon monoxide, carcinogenics  et al which most cars give out, not to mention many others. Lets ban cars from hospitals too then"

Cars don't ommit lung-clogging tar :P

I can understand why hospitals make the entire grounds no smoking - possibly it's easier to enforce than just certain grounds. At the new Royal Infirmary Edinburgh they built a smoking shelter a short distance from the main A&E entrance. There are signs outside the door saying no smoking here - please use shelters provided, but still you have to fight your way through the clump of smokers at the door who apparently either can't read or don't care.