Psychiatric ward smoking 'secret'

Attempts to ban smoking on psychiatric wards are simply driving the habit underground, a survey suggests.

The Mental Health Foundation found only a minority of wards in England have implemented the ban successfully.

Respondents cited problems such as safety concerns, the rise of "secret smoking" and staff dissatisfaction with a policing role.

But the government's mental health tsar said he had visited many trusts where a ban had been smoothly implemented.

Staff seem to be in the difficult position of either risking breaking the law by turning a blind eye, or denying a patient the right to smoke completely

Some 85% of 109 respondents to the survey said the ban, which came into effect in July 2008, had not been implemented effectively.

Many said patients had taken to smoking in secret, with staff feeling the need to turn a blind eye, particularly when patients were very unwell.

Another problem highlighted by respondents was that many units did not have safe outdoor space where patients could smoke.

Even where such a space existed, respondents reported that the need to escort patients outside to smoke was a considerable drain on staff time and resources.

Many staff also raised concerns about the possible fire risks presented by covert smoking and the disposal of cigarette butts.

Report author Simon Lawton-Smith said the ban was justified on health grounds, but enforcement was beset by widespread practical difficulties.

He said: "Where access to an outside space is limited or unavailable, staff seem to be in the difficult position of either risking breaking the law by turning a blind eye, or denying a patient the right to smoke completely."

The report found that widespread staff and patient consultation had been key to success in those units who had implemented a ban effectively.

Offering smoking cessation support such as nicotine replacement therapy was also important.

The report calls on the Department of Health to carry out a formal view of the impact of the smoking ban.

Vicki Nash, of the mental health charity Mind, said: "Forcing people to stop smoking abruptly on admission to hospital when they are already likely to be distressed is inappropriate and could heighten anxiety.

"People with mental health problems are twice as likely to smoke than the general public so it's vital that trusts are equipped to deal with this and can either support patients to quit or resource the option to smoke outside."

Louis Appleby, the National Director for Mental Health, said other research had shown that although implementing the smoking ban had posed challenges, most trusts believed it had been done successfully.

Professor Appleby said: "I have visited many trusts who have implemented the ban with little or no difficulty.

"Mental health wards are being transformed for the better and going smokefree is part of this."

"We believe that mental health staff and patients deserve the same healthier, smokefree environment as the rest of the NHS and there are no plans to change the policy." 

Source: [BBC News, 21 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/lqxn8c
 

Ireland: 97% of workplaces complying with smoking ban

The Office of Tobacco Control says 97% of workplaces are fully complying with the workplace smoking ban introduced more than five years ago.

In its latest annual report, the organisation says almost 25,500 inspections were carried out by environmental health officers last year and just 24 offences were detected.

Elsewhere, the OTC is also warning that it will be clamping down on shops that display point-of-sale tobacco advertising once a ban on such displays comes into effect from July 1.

Source: Ireland Online, 22 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/lqwlqs

MP David Clelland blasted over 'smokescreen'

A North MP who fought the smoking ban has been slammed for failing to declare family links to a senior member of the tobacco lobby.

David Clelland, Labour MP for Tyne Bridge, has been a strong critic of Government plans to ban the display of cigarette packets in shops and newsagents as he believes it could lead to many shopkeepers losing business.

It has emerged Mr Clelland is the stepfather of Katharine Graham, campaign manager for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, the group funded by the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association, which has led calls against the ban.

But the politician says he didn’t mention the connection because he says the Tobacco Retailers Alliance’s opinion have had no bearing on his personal views.

Critics, however, have accused him of putting up a smokescreen and that the public should have been made aware of the connection.

Deborah Arnott, Director of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “It’s outrageous that David Clelland did not make clear that he had family links with the tobacco industry before he spoke so strongly in parliament against the government proposals to put tobacco displays out of sight.”

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, the group leading the call for a smoke free North East, agreed, saying: “I’ve argued my case with Mr Clelland on the health bill and it would have been useful to know about his family links to the tobacco industry beforehand.

“He should declare his interest, the Tobacco Alliance is just a front for an industry which kills its customers.

“My message to any MP is think about children’s health and that of future generations.”

The MP said he did not mention the link because he didn’t want to give the impression he was raising issues in Parliament because his stepdaughter worked for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance.

He said he has spoken to many shopkeepers in his constituency who fear they may have to close through loss of business if they are banned from displaying cigarettes.

He said: “I have spoken to the House and there is no need for me to register any interest in terms of my stepdaughter working for the Alliance, but if the Parliamentary Commission decide I should, then I will. I didn’t want to give the impression I was raising it because I’m related to Katherine Graham.

“I am not pro-smoking but I am pro-tolerance and have spoken out in particular for working men’s clubs and pubs, many of which have closed in the North.

He added: “So long as smoking is a legal practice, which I have to remind people of on a regular basis, I think we have to be tolerant.”

Source: Sunday Sun, 21 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/n9k5q7

Blackburn tobacco smuggler ordered to repay £30k

A Blackburn tobacco smuggler faces an extended prison sentence if he fails to repay £30,000 he made from crime within six months. 

Saiful Chowdhury, 40, used his clothing company in Accrington Road, Blackburn, to sneak more than 30 tonnes of tobacco into the UK, avoiding tax.

It is thought the operation cost £3.3m in lost tax revenue.

Following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), he was jailed for five years in May 2008 after being found guilty of laundering criminal profits of around £434,000.

At a confiscation before Canterbury Crown Court, Chowdhury was ordered to repay a total of £30,269, within six months or face an additional 12 months in jail.

After the case, Malcolm Bragg, HMRC assistant director criminal investigation, said: “All criminals care about is profit.

“We will continue to work with our prosecutors to bring these cases to court, reclaiming illegal profits for the public purse.

“This success is part of our continued campaign to stamp out the illegal trade in tobacco smuggling; criminality that costs the taxpayer nearly £3 billion a year in lost revenue.” Chowdhury, who was living in Chester Close, Audley, before his imprisonment, had first been intercepted by HMRC officers at Dover’s Eastern Docks in November 2005. "

After questioning Chowdhury, HMRC officers then searched the van he was travelling in and they discovered half a tonne of tobacco hidden under boxes of clothing.

He was also found to have about £8,500 in cash.

Chowdhury was arrested, interviewed and released on bail as investigations continued.

While on bail Chowdhury was intercepted twice by HMRC officers at Dover’s outward bound controls.

Investigations by HMRC officers uncovered a bank account, which Chowdhury had set up, to transfer over £380,000 to a tobacco supp-lier in Belgium between September and December 2006.

Source: The Citizen, 21 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/muv75r

Stressed smokers 'delay quitting'

Smokers are putting off quitting because they are stressed by the economic downturn, according to a report.

With British people worrying about their job security, paying their bills and putting food on the table, almost a quarter of smokers (23%) said they are delaying plans to kick the habit, and 28% of them believe they have been too stressed to make a successful attempt to quit in the last six months.

Jennifer Percival, Tobacco Policy Advisor at the Royal College of Nursing, London, said: "This study shows that over two million people are delaying quit plans and exposing themselves to the harmful effects of smoking for longer than they need to.

"We know that the earlier people quit, the better, so we need to make sure that those who are delaying quit plans are being offered effective options and support to help them to stop smoking successfully."

Other findings in the report carried out by Ipsos Mori, reveal smokers admitted they were more likely to cut down their spending on clothes (42%) and the supermarket shop (21%) than stop buying cigarettes (15%).

Almost half (46%) feel more stressed than they used to, with 43% putting this down to the current economic situation. Nearly three-quarters (73%) find having a cigarette comforting when they are stressed, and a quarter admitted to increasing their habit,

As Britons start to feel the pinch, many smokers said they were likely to smoke more - either due to losing their jobs (32%) or job insecurity and personal debt (both 23%).

According to Ms Percival, the findings also indicate misconceptions around nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), as 46% of those asked agreed that giving up smoking with willpower alone is as effective as NRT.

She said: "Many smokers don't believe that NRT can help them, but the latest evidence shows that using the optimal dose helps smokers to quit.

"Educating smokers about quitting smoking remains a challenge, but the better the job we do, the more death and suffering we will prevent." The Recession Relapser Study of 877 people, will be presented at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference in London.

Source: The Press Association, 22 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/mjma7a

Australia: New South Wales to ban smoking in cars with kids

Places where smoking is prohibited in NSW will soon include cars, if any of their passengers are under the age of 16.

Billboards and print advertisements will start appearing this weekend to remind drivers and smokers of new government regulations aimed at protecting children from tobacco smoke.

The new laws come into effect on July 1.

"The advertisements will hammer home the message that from July 1, drivers and smokers will be banned from smoking in cars when a child or passenger under the age of 16 is present," Minister assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer) Jodi McKay said in a statement on Saturday.

"Any driver or passenger who is caught violating this new law could attract a $250 on-the-spot fine from NSW Police."

Stafford Saunders, who co-ordinates a coalition of pressure groups called Protecting Children from Tobacco, says exposure to second hand smoke can greatly increase the risk of childhood asthma.

"(It can also) lead to an increased risk of lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis, as well as coughing and wheezing," he said.

The new laws do not just include banning smoking in cars if passengers are under the age of 16.

In addition, retailers will be required to store all tobacco products out of sight.

Retailers who employ more than 50 people will have six months to comply and other retailers will have 12 months from July 1, 2009.

Increased fines will apply to anyone who advertises tobacco products, or sells tobacco products without health warnings.

Source: The West Australian, 20 June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/lgmmx9