Health board cracks down on smoking ban breaches

File photo / NZ Herald

A father's frustration with medical staff smoking on hospital grounds has led to a district health board bumping up its enforcement of the no-smoking rule.

The Auckland District Health Board announced last night that it would be more strict with its staff who smoke after several patients complained of workers breaching the no-smoking policy on hospital grounds.

One of the main complainants is understood to be a man whose asthmatic daughter - who regularly gets treatment at the Starship children's hospital - had been suffering because of smoke blowing inside the doors from staff, patients and visitors smoking out the front.

It is understood the man is taking legal action against the district health board for failing to properly administer its smoking ban and is to be in court tomorrow.

Auckland City Hospital, the Starship and Greenlane Clinical Centre are all smokefree sites.

However many people, including staff, have regularly been breaching the smoking ban.

In a statement released last night, chief executive Denis Jury said the board had decided to take a stronger stance on the ban.

"Staff and patients are telling us smoking on site is a problem and we have checked and found compliance with the policy is not what it should be," Dr Jury said.

"We've noticed an increasing number of breaches - particularly at our Auckland City Hospital site."

Hospital spokesman Mark Fenwick said the father's complaint had been the key factor in the board's decision to take action.

"Essentially, we agree with him. He's got a fair point."

Mr Fenwick said the board understood that the man wanted to make moves to change the country's smokefree legislation to include hospital grounds.

At present, the Smokefree Environments Act states that all school grounds and early childhood centres are smokefree.

Other premises, such as bars and restaurants, are smokefree indoors.

Extra signs and an expansion of programmes such as the Better Help for Smokers to Quit programme and the nicotine replacement therapy for patients are some of the board's initiatives to enforce the smoking ban.

The executive director of nursing, Taima Campbell, said: "Currently, under the Better Help for Smokers to Quit programme, nicotine replacement therapy is only available to patients who are smokers.

"But we are exploring how we may be able to expand this to include family members and visitors."