Horrified midwives have reported the fumes of smokers flouting NHS Fife's no-smoking policy are wafting their way through windows and into wards housing new mums and babies. Cancer patients are also forced to run the gauntlet of people in their dressing gowns, still attached to drips, puffing on cigarettes at the main entrance to Victoria Hospital's flagship new wing in Kirkcaldy. The revolving doors at the entrance are continually jamming because of tossed cigarette ends being blown into the mechanics — despite bins being 20 yards away.
Staff have been encouraged to point out the no-smoking rule and ask patients and visitors to extinguish their cigarettes, but those who do are often subjected to a barrage of abuse or simply ignored. While requests have been made for smoking shelters away from the hospital, health bosses have called for legislation making it an offence to smoke anywhere in the grounds. They will look at what action they can take to prevent the smoke from seeping inside. David Stewart, chair of NHS Fife's operations division — which runs the Vic — said: ''This is not just patients. It's visitors.
At 2pm there are more people standing out there smoking than you get at Stark's Park on a Saturday afternoon. It's unbelievable.'' He added: ''I have shared my concern on this issue on a number of occasions and I raised it at a meeting with MSPs. The advice I got was we should provide a smoking shelter. That seems reasonable but I want legislation making it an offence to smoke on the entire hospital site. ''The Government is passing legislation to make it an offence to smoke in your car and I would have thought it would be easier to make it illegal to smoke at a hospital.''
While notices around the Victoria's grounds remind visitors of the no-smoking policy, there is no sanction for those who flout it — making it difficult to enforce. The policy itself prevents the erection of smoking shelters and Mr Stewart said there is no simple answer. ''I wish there was because it really annoys me,'' he said. ''There are patients coming down in their dressing gowns, standing outside at the doors smoking. "It becomes even worse when they stand underneath the canopy. There's a smoking bin 20 yards away yet they throw their cigarettes down on the ground and they get blown inside through the revolving doors.''
Director of nursing Caroline Inwood said a review of the smoking policy is under way and the possibility of offering patients nicotine replacement therapies is also being looked at. ''We have to strike a balance because we have to recognise smoking is an addiction,'' she said. ''We can't just say 'stop smoking' without giving some support.'' Unlike Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, there are no staff dedicated to enforcing the no-smoking rule and Tannoy announcements have been ruled out amid fears patients would be disturbed as the main entrance is so close to the wards.
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