St. Vincent’s University Hospital is a health promoting hospital. As you approach the main reception area, you can’t help but be struck by the repetitive voice over the Tannoy telling you of their non-smoking policy in and around the hospital.

At present, they have an indoor smoking ban, and from 1st January 2009 they intend to extend the ban to the whole of the campus, including the surrounding grounds. This is in order to give the best care possible to patients, staff and visitors in the safest environment.

It is not the intention of this new policy from the committee of the Department of Preventive Medicine to make life difficult or uncomfortable for anyone, and support will be provided to smokers. The help includes Stop Smoking courses, One to One sessions and Nicotine Products.

For patients who smoke, they can get advice by phone, by attending the local HSE service and from the hospital itself. Currently, less than a quarter of patients in St. Vincent’s are smokers. Reassuringly, 90% stated in a study that they do not find it hard to avoid smoking when they are in a place where smoking is not allowed.

The proportion of staff who are smokers is falling, with the most recent survey showing that less than one in five smoke. The majority of hospital staff indicated that they would support the implementation of a ban.

The hospital feels that going smoke-free helps with all aspects of recovery. It can help with preventing and treating many illnesses, including heart disease, lung diseases, cancer, infections and recovery from surgery. A patient can bounce back quicker into good health. There is almost no illness that doesn’t benefit from stopping smoking.

St. Vincent’s would expect anyone who is to be admitted to plan beforehand. They advise smokers to discuss with their GP the different nicotine products such as patch, tablet, lozenge, inhaler and gum and find the one that is most feasible to the user.

These products are available to help control nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Nicotine can be taken in various other forms that is safer for both the smoker and others in their company. This is called Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

Staff involved in the non-smoking services can help smokers prepare for admission by discussing the best ways of either quitting altogether or using nicotine products to help during a stay in hospital. They will help draw up individual plans to suit the patient, and want to offer the best support possible in an effective and compassionate manner.

Stopping smoking is regarded as the single most important thing a person can do to improve their health and lifestyle at any age. It can increase survival rates, and this new smoke-free campus could give people an incentive to try again, if they have tried and failed to stop smoking in the past.

It will be interesting to see how the no-smoking ban will take off in St. Vincent’s and whether the other major hospitals will follow suit and take example.

In the meantime, our health is our wealth.