Smoking Ban on MH sites

Ban on smoking upsets patients
By REBECCA TODD - The Press
28/05/2010

'Psychiatric patients are being treated worse than criminals under a new smoking ban at mental health service sites, some Canterbury patients say.

From July 1, the Canterbury District Health Board's (CDHB) specialist mental health services will be smokefree.

The board said nicotine-replacement therapy would be available to patients.

A Christchurch woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said people in mental hospitals had less rights than prisoners.

The 40-year-old woman, who is bipolar, was a patient at Hillmorton Hospital last year.
"Being committed is probably one of the most traumatic things that will ever happen to people," she said.

"It can be a really frightening process. Things happen like you are involuntarily injected with medication, you are put in seclusion, and you don't know what it is or when you are going to get out.

"All of these really stressful things are going on while you're in hospital and I don't think it's a good time to make people stop smoking – that's the last of your worries."
Smoking was one of the main social activities patients used to pass the time, she said. She smoked at least a pack of cigarettes a day as an acute inpatient, which was more than normal.
She was also concerned visitors would cut short their visits because they wanted to smoke.
"Within the consumers' group, the feeling is that it's not something that can possibly be in the interests of patients," the woman said.

Psychiatric Consumers Trust manager Beth Nobes said people had not yet been told that their "right to smoke" while in hospital had been taken away.

Those who entered the mental health service were vulnerable and felt out of control, so taking away something as fundamental as a nicotine addiction would be "challenging", she said.

Patients had told her they would have "more rights in prison".

Canterbury's Alcohol and Drug Service clinical head Dr David Stoner said the policy would be difficult for some patients and staff.

"You can't smoke in cafes, bars or restaurants now, and it just doesn't fit in our hospitals where we are encouraging people to do all they can to lead healthier lives," he said.

The board was advising all mental health service users and community providers of the policy.'
End.

Paddy.

My reading of that is that the punters at more risk now and that smokers will be 'punished' if caught and there are lots of ways to be punished in the Bin.

And, staff what need a fag cos we're driving them up the wall, and whose job means thay can't leave the premises, could face employment action if they snuck off to the nearest council road and lit up - they'd be potentially causing an 'unaurthorised absence from the workplace'. Wonder what their various Unions etc will say about that?

As in prison, fags will a commodity with value and in my experiences, there is enough bullying going on without being stood-over and encouraged to hand ya tabbackie over. But in prison, ya can still go outside 'n have a smoke at times. Can't at Hillmortorn but (note the pun?) - Shame on you, CDHB. Shame on you.

Paddy

and Yep, I smoke and Nope, I don't wanna give up. Oh, and I've been in Sunnyside. We had a smokers lounge and a nonsmokers lounge and one could drift from one to t'other as one needed. One lounge was significantly more comfortable than the other.

criminal...

I've deleted 3 pages of swear words, but am sure I could of done a few more!!!!

This ban is going to be hell!!!!


I would go into hospital under my own freewill if I wasnt allowed to smoke!!!

I talked to all the nurses at the youth unit, they agree its going to suck hard timee!!!! and they will take the people who are well enough to the river to have a smoke. Its just a waste of nurses time!

Christchurch is one of the last places to go somke free. It is in line with the other hospitals and inline with the health porities set out by the ministry,

The wards are a work place and as such are one of the work places where smoking is/was allowed.

Alternatives to smoking will be offered in the form of patches and gum and paitients will still be allowed to smoke if they are voluntary paitants but of DHB grounds which has been smoke free for a while and complusary paitients will just have to wait like they do now till a staff member is avaliable to escort.

As to the comment that paitients have less rights than prisoners, I can,t beliwvw thwy said or believe it.

This issue is not as big as people are making it and the transition has been smooth in a number of DHBs.

I was admitted to the mental health unit (locked ward) the day that the no smoking thing was actioned here. I don't smoke, but even in my very unwell state I could see the extra strain and stress it was putting on both patients and staff. It was awful. On the open ward they were putting patients in a van and driving them off hospital grounds each hour to have a smoke. Ridiculous!

Also what i'd be interested to know is how they're going to get an accurate assessment of somebodies mental health when they've just cold turkey'd them from an addiction?