HOSPITALS across Hampshire are being urged to take steps to become tobacco-free to improve the health of their patients and staff.

Public Health England (PHE) chief executive Duncan Selbie has written to every NHS Trust Chief Executive in the south east asking them to implement a ban on smoking by patients, staff and visitors across all hospital buildings and grounds.

In his letter to NHS trusts, Mr Selbie said: “I am asking for your help to reach smokers who are in your hospital waiting rooms, consulting rooms and beds.

“By working together I believe we can make the NHS a place which provides a supportive tobacco-free environment for patients, staff and visitors”.

In the south east, several trusts such have led the way with smoking bans on hospital grounds, while many more are working with other organisations including their local authority public health teams towards going completely smoke-free in the future.

Despite declines in smoking prevalence over recent decades, tobacco use remains the single largest cause of health inequalities and premature death.

Mary Edwards, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, said: “We operate a no-smoking policy in all of our hospitals.

“However, we recognise that people visit our hospitals at times of stress, so we do provide designated outside areas for people who wish to smoke.”

Diana Grice, director for Public Health England South East said: “In the South East of England smoking rates continue to fall across the region and are now the lowest on record at 15.9 per cent.

“Tobacco sales are also in decline as record numbers of people quit smoking.

“This is good news but there is more work needed to encourage more smokers to kick the habit and give themselves a better chance of staying healthy and avoiding conditions such as lung and oral cancers, coronary heart disease (CHD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema and strokes.

“PHE encourages the NHS to support every option to become smoke-free and discourage smoking in a bid to improve patient health.”