Health chiefs at Dorset County Hospital are backing a Government initiative to ban smoking throughout the NHS. The hospital itself is already a smoke-free zone, but members of West Dorset General Hospitals NHS Trust Board feel the time is right to take things a step further.

At a meeting of the board last Tuesday, members said they were now willing to consider introducing a ban on smoking in the hospital grounds.

At present staff, patients and visitors to the hospital who wish to smoke have the use of a number of outdoor shelters.

The ban could also be extended to buildings contracted to provide NHS services such as hospices and nursing homes.

The move comes in the light of a Government White Paper on public health, published in November, which would see the NHS smoke-free, subject to limited exceptions, by 2006.

The board based its decision on the results of a survey of the no-smoking policies of all the Trusts in the Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority area.

The health authority has already set the trusts a further challenge by saying the reviews should be undertaken immediately and the changes introduced within the next three months so that the NHS would be completely smoke-free by National No Smoking Day on Wednesday 9 March this year.

Speaking at the meeting, Trust chief executive Nick Cox stressed the importance of the NHS and its staff setting a standard for health promoting behaviour.

Mr Cox said: “We will be promoting a smoke-free organisation and I don’t think we want to start making exceptions for staff. I think we have a duty to try and help them give up smoking and get healthy but we need to take things a step at a time.

“It’s important that we have a support programme in place so that we can offer the staff help to overcome their difficulties.

“Last time we tried to enforce a ban on smoking in the hospital grounds it ended up with staff smoking outside on the street which is not the impression we want to give the public of the hospital or its workers.

“Clearly this needs to be done through consultation with trade unions and staff and patient forums but I do think it’s something which needs to be moved forward.”

He added: “There may be some exceptions made for patients in special categories, including those who are mentally or terminally ill and bereaved relatives.”

Board chairman Robin SeQueira said the changes would be endorsed in principle and recommended the start of a consultation period with affected parties.