Two of the largest Health Boards in Wales have enforced a rule which will see smoking anywhere on their NHS hospital premises banned. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales and Aneurin Bevan Health Board in southeast Wales brought in the smoking ban on 1^st January 2012. Smoking is now not just banned inside hospital buildings, but throughout NHS property and land within their health board properties.

The ban comes into force following a recent tobacco action control plan report by the Welsh Government, which suggested the indoor smoking bans which already exist in hospitals, health centres and schools should be extended to cover their grounds as a whole.

Smoke detectors have been installed in hospital building entrances and loudspeaker alarms will be activated when smoke is detected. Staff, patients and visitors who wish to smoke will now need to leave the hospital premises to do so – as smoking outside entrances and in car parks is no longer permitted.

Dr Gill Richardson of Aneurin Bevan Health Board said “A smoke-free environment policy will protect staff, patients and visitors from the proven harm caused by second-hand smoking.

“Hospitals should be places of healing. If patients smoke whilst in hospital, this increases the risk of complications and delays their recovery”.

Bans on smoking on hospital properties are already in force in some hospitals in South Wales and further hospitals in Newport and Abergavenny are also set to follow suit in the first few months of the year.