Public Health England will today publish "new guidance to reduce high smoking rates among patients in mental health units".
According to a press release:
New figures from Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England shine fresh light on the high smoking rates among people living with mental health problems.
Nationally 33% of people with a mental health problem smoke compared to 18.7% in the population as a whole. A PHE and NHS England survey found that smoking rates among service users in mental health units is even higher at 64%. High smoking rates among people with mental health problems are the single largest contributor to their 10 to 20-year reduced life expectancy.
We're told that:
Alongside the physical health improvements, an increasing body of research is finding that mental health can be improved by stopping smoking. Contrary to the myth, evidence shows that stopping smoking is associated with reduced depression, anxiety, stress and improved positive mood and quality of life.
Evidence also shows that people who smoke often require higher doses of psychotropic medication as smoking increases the metabolism of these drugs. Smoking is estimated to increase psychotropic drug costs in the UK by up to £40m per year. Medical guidelines indicate stopping smoking can lead to reductions in dosage and usage of psychotropic drugs which benefits the patient by reducing the side-effects associated with these medications.
Significantly, the PHE press release adds:
The guidance coincides with new financial incentives from NHS England, which encourages mental health care providers to support users in secure settings to stop smoking.
In other words, force mental health patients to quit smoking and their 'health care providers' will benefit financially. What sort of racket is this?
Prompted by PHE's press release, BBC Radio 4's Today programme had an exclusive report on the issue at 7.20 this morning.
Forest was invited to respond with a short statement and this is it:
"Smoking is not just about health, although many smokers believe it helps reduce anxiety and stress. If some mental health patients enjoy smoking why should they be denied that pleasure?
"Public Health England has no right to deny people choice. Who are they to dictate whether or not a mental health patient can smoke a product that is legally available to every other adult in Britain?
"What PHE is proposing is discrimination. It will target unfairly a group of people who, being dependent on others, have little alternative other than to comply."
Only one sentence made it into Today's report ("Public Health England has no right to deny people choice") but we were quoted at greater length here:
Mental health patients 'smoke three times as much' (BBC News)
Update: On April 12 I wrote this post, Commonsense and decency sacrificed on the altar of public health.
The sentiments are even more relevant today, especially this passage:
The 'caring' profession is nothing of the sort. All they care about is their wretched no smoking policy which must be obeyed at all cost. Commonsense and decency are sacrificed on the altar of public health. What's happening is inhumane yet no-one is willing to do anything about it.
Newspapers report that no smoking rules are being ignored by many patients. I welcome that but what about those who are immobile or have mental health problems? They're being discriminated against because they don't have a choice. Being dependent on others they have no alternative other than to comply with a nasty, vindictive regulation that puts ideology before humanity.
Nothing further to add, m'lud.