Two years on... Widespread support for Health Trust's smoking ban

Two years after it was introduced the smoking ban imposed at Western Health and Social Care sites continues to receive widespread support, health chiefs have said.

The Western Trust was the first in the North to prohibit smoking in its buildings and grounds, including Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.a

Today, sees the remaining Trusts also ban smoking at all their healthcare facilities.

Speaking ahead of today’s second anniversary of the introduction of the smokefree environment, Dr Albert McNeill, consultant cardiologist with the Western Trust at Altnagelvin Hospital and chairperson of the Trust’s Altnagelvin Smoke Free Initiative Committee, the ban continued to receive widespread backing from staff, patients, service suers and the who were reaping the benefits of a healthier, cleaner and more pleasant smokefree environment.

He added this support would go from strength to strength as all health and social care facilities across Northern Ireland become Smokefree this No Smoking Day.

Dr McNeill added: “We are extremely proud to now be celebrating two years smokefree.

“As the first Trust in Northern Ireland to introduce a smokefree environment across all our health care facilities we have an important role as an example and advocate for this environmental change.

“I have spent a large part of my professional life dealing with the terrible effects of smoking.

“It is unacceptable for patients, visitors and staff to be subjected to second-hand smoking while on health and social care facilities, therefore we are delighted to see all health and social care facilities across Northern Ireland join with us as they go smokefree.

“With this change we hope to both protect people’s health directly and to influence cultural change by creating new norms around smoking in public.”

The theme of today’s “No Smoking Day” theme is 2\Proud to be a Quitter.”

Since the Western Trust began its smokefree journey in March 2014, 5,080 people have availed of the support and advice from the Trust’s Smoking Cessation Team.

Approximately 2,030 people have set a quit date and almost 70% are “Proud to be a Quitter" at four weeks

Photo shows Dr McNeill with McNeill and Western Trust Smoking Cessation Nurse, Karen Harper celebrating two years smokefree healthcare facilities across the Western Trust area.