Oh dear, how sad, never mind
Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 13:27 STV News reports that:
Not one fine has been issued since smoking was made illegal within hospital grounds in Scotland last year.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
Public health minister Jenni Minto MSP hopes the lack of fines means people are "taking heed" of the new rules and have changed their behaviour.
Well, that's one way of spinning it. According to a similar investigation by the Scottish Sun in January, however:
Smokers are stubbornly flouting the SNP's ban on lighting up outside hospitals – but not one was fined in the law's first three months.
(See also 'Scottish hospital smoking ban a failure'.)
I'm pleased because when it came to opposing a ban on smoking on hospital grounds, Forest was pretty much on its own. Remember this?
Plans to make smoking in hospital grounds a statutory offence have been branded "inhumane, petty and vindictive" by a pro-smoking (sic) group.
Simon Clark from Forest made the remark while giving evidence to Holyrood's health committee.
Hospitals have banned smoking in their grounds, but it is being flouted.
Mr Clark told MSPs: "Going to hospital as a patient or a visitor can be a very stressful experience. It's also quite stressful for many members of staff.
"To ban smoking on all hospital grounds, we think, is totally inhumane, it's totally vindictive, it's petty, far pettier actually than banning smoking in pubs. At least people can still go outside.
"To extend it to entire hospital sites, we think, is absolutely outrageous."
Full story: Hospital smoking ban plan 'petty', Holyrood committee told (BBC News, September 2015).
Whatever the reason for the lack of fines (ASH Scotland says it may be due to a lack of funding to pay for enforcement officers), I'm pleased that smokers aren't being punished unnecessarily.
It also supports our argument that NHS managers have far more important things on their plate than targeting patients, visitors, and staff for having a quiet smoke in the open air.
Reader Comments (1)
Simon,
It is not illegal in Scotland to smoke on SNHS hospital grounds, it is illegal within 15 metres of the outside of the buildings on their grounds, if you want to split hairs, it is publicly owned land not the SNHS land. However the snp love splitting hairs to their advantage.