Examples of free-text comments categorised into common themes
| Theme | Examples of comments |
|---|---|
| Support for smoking shelters or allowing smoking on the hospital grounds | I wouldn't like to see the hospital banning smoking on the premises as it discriminates against workers who smoke … and for patients who smoke, a hospital stay would become very difficult indeed. Provision should be made for smokers … as with any other group people, to make sure their needs are allocated for and respected. |
| Smoking is still legal and, as such, the hospital should continue to provide designated smoking areas. | |
| Patients should not be stopped from smoking in hospital, it is completely impractical. The risk of aggression to staff from patients who are denied the right to smoke would put staff at risk. | |
| I feel that as a nurse caring for patients on the wards, to stop them going for a cigarette would leave staff very vulnerable to physical and verbal abuse. | |
| In my experience, sometimes when a patient is not allowed or unable to smoke, it can significantly affect their mood, stress levels, motivation and behaviour negatively – in my opinion smoking affects you more psychologically than physically. | |
| Support for smoke-free hospital grounds | I feel very strongly that any hospital or healthcare site should always promote ‘best practice’ and healthy lifestyle with everything they do to set the best example. |
| As a non-smoker, I really hate walking at any of the entrances through smoke or vapour clouds. I don't object necessarily to people smoking, as it is their choice, but I should not have to be exposed to it – that is my choice. | |
| We are supposed to be promoting healthy lifestyles and improving national health statistics. By turning a blind eye, we are failing the population. Unless fines and restrictions are in place and implemented regularly then nothing will change. | |
| Stop messing about and simply ban smoking on hospital grounds. This has gone on long enough. It's disgraceful and raises ethical questions that we continue to allow smoking on healthcare premises. | |
| Concerns raised over vaping on hospital grounds | I find vaping equally distressing – and several deaths from vaping have been reported in the USA. |
| The health service should NOT be providing advice to people to USE e-cigarettes. Emerging evidence is starting to suggest that they are just as bad, if not worse than normal cigarettes, and until that evidence is clear, we shouldn't be promoting this as an option. | |
| We live in a culture of litigation – and promoting vapes and e-cigs as an alternative is a class-action suit waiting to happen! | |
| Support for vaping on hospital grounds | Unfortunately, both smokers and vapers are currently treated the same way. Smokers should be encouraged to at least try (for maybe one month+) to solely vape as a safer alternative. |
| Trust policies and signage should be changed to help smokers think about switching. |