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01-02-2006 Back to news index
NHS Networks poll shows majority of staff favour smoking bans
Last month's poll on smoking bans in hospitals provoked a massive response and some heated debate. 707 people voted on the subject of a 'smoke-free NHS', the blanket ban on patients and staff smoking anywhere in NHS buildings or grounds.
56 per cent of respondents are in favour of the current smoking bans while 33 per cent believe that they go too far and that people should be allowed to smoke outside. The remaining eleven per cent of people think that NHS anti-smoking policy is not strong enough and should go further, for example by restricting job applications to non-smokers. This gives a very clear two-to-one majority in favour of retaining/strengthening the current bans.
Most NHS Trusts are already smoke-free; the entire NHS will become smoke-free from 1 January 2007.
Don't forget that you can still vote in our current poll to determine people's attitudes toward using the internet.