Belfast Trust Smoke Free Policy - Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Equality, Good Relations and Human Rights
Screening Template
Title: Belfast Trust Smoke Free Policy
1

***Completed Screening Templates are public documents and will be posted on the Trust’s website***
See Guidance Notes for further background information on the relevant legislation and for help in answering the
questions on this template (follow the links).
(1) Information about the Policy/Proposal
(1.1) Name of the policy/proposal
Belfast Trust Smoke Free Policy
(1.2) Is this a new, existing or revised policy/proposal?
Supercedes legacy smoke free policies
(1.3) What is it trying to achieve (intended aims/outcomes)?
The Purpose of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust is to improve health and wellbeing and reduce
inequalities. The Trust is committed to eliminating smoking on Trust Premises to assist staff, patients and
visitors in order to improve their health and wellbeing. The Belfast Trust is committed to positively influencing
the health and wellbeing of our own staff, patients and visitors. Preventing people smoking or from passive
smoking is one way we seek to do this. The purpose of this policy is also to ensure compliance with the
provisions of The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and achieve a smoke-free environment throughout all
enclosed or substantially enclosed spaces within the Trust, including buildings, exits and entrances and Trust
2

vehicles. In addition the Trust as a health care provider want to promote smoke free environments and as such
plan to move to smoke free grounds by Dec 2014 for which a separate equality screening will be carried. .
This policy:
- This policy designates all Trust workplaces, buildings, exits and entrances and Trust owned vehicles as
smoke-free areas from 1 st June 2013 with some very limited exemption arrangements which are
consistent with current legislation and regulation.
- Clarifies the duties and responsibilities of staff and managers in the implementation and operation of the
policy.
The policy applies to all employees of the Trust, also to all patients, clients, contractors, visitors, volunteers and
members of the public using our facilities and services.
The Trust’s Duty of Care also extends to services commissioned by the Trust from external organisations on
behalf of patients, clients and carers. All such organisations are expected to comply with the provisions of
The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.
Objectives of policy:
1. To promote the health and wellbeing of Trust staff by establishing a smoke free work environment.
2. To provide assistance for staff, volunteers, patients and clients who wish to stop smoking.
3. To comply with the Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
4. To promote a culture of non-smoking within Belfast Trust’s catchment population
5. To set good example to the public through positive actions.
6. To reduce the effects of passive smoking.
7. To reduce littering that is associated with smoking.
8. To ensure that all patients, staff and visitors are informed of the smoke free policy and the expectation
to comply.
3

Exemptions
Some very limited exemptions are listed in the smoke-free legislation. The exemptions relevant to Belfast Trust
are subject to certain conditions: - (see note 4 procedures).
A designated room in Residential Care Facilities solely caring for people aged 16 or above.
Private accommodation owned by the Trust – e.g. for use as live-in (as opposed to sleep-in)
accommodation by staff or students.
(1.4) How will the proposal be implemented?
The Director of Nursing and Medical Director are responsible for monitoring, co-ordinating and developing the
policy under the direction of the Chief Executive. Managers will ensure that staff for whom they are responsible
are aware of, and adhere, to this policy. The policy will be adopted at all levels of management. All staff
employed by the Trust has a responsibility to accept their personal involvement in the application of the Smokefree
Policy. The Trust will ensure that adequate resources are made available to meet the objectives of the
policy.
An Implementation Group under the Chair of the Director of Nursing will be established to order to ensure a
consistent application of the policy throughout the Trust. Membership will include representatives from Service
Groups, Estates, Health Improvement, Communications, Health and Safety, Staff Side, Patient Representative &
Human
4

(1.5) Are there any Section 75 categories (see list in 2.1) which might be expected to benefit from the
intended policy/proposal?
The policy may benefit some or all of the 9 Section 75 categories as the policy is aimed at ensuring the health
and wellbeing of staff and service users.
(1.6) Who owns and who implements the policy/proposal?
BHSCT
(1.7) Are there any factors that could contribute to/detract from the intended aim/outcome of the
policy/proposal/decision? (Financial, legislative or other constraints?)
One factor that could contribute to the future success of the policy is that a number of Trusts across the UK and
Ireland have successfully implemented Smoke Free grounds. Within NI the Western Trust have stated their
intention to move to Smoke Free grounds in 2014 and others with the support of the Public Health Agency
including BHSCT are working towards this.
(1.8) Who are the internal and external stakeholders (actual or potential) that the
policy/proposal/decision could impact upon? (staff, service users, other public sector organisations,
trade unions, professional bodies, independent sector, voluntary and community groups etc).
5

Staff, patients, clients, visitors, Trade Unions, contractors, volunteers and members of the public using our
facilities and services.
(1.9) Other policies/strategies/information with a bearing on this policy/proposal (for example internal or
regional policies) - what are they and who owns them?
The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
The employer’s obligations under the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 – Article 4 states
that employers “have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work
of all their employees”.
6

(2) Available Evidence / Needs, Experiences and Priorities
(2.1) Taking into account the information above what are the different needs, experiences and priorities
of each of the Section 75 categories for both service users and staff.
Please note there are separate tables for Service Users and staff.
Service Users
Category
Details of evidence/information
Service users
Belfast/Castlereagh
population as a
whole
Service
users
affected
All service
users
Smoking
prevalence
in Belfast
remains
around
30%
(compared
to the
Northern
Ireland
Needs, Experiences & Priorities
The Belfast Trust is committed to
positively influencing the health and
wellbeing of our own staff, patients and
visitors. The policy is aimed at
eliminating smoking on Trust Premises
to assist staff, patients and visitors in
order to improve their health and
wellbeing. There is no evidence to
suggest that the policy will have an
adverse impact in terms of all the
Section 75 categories.
The Trust will offer a wide range of
help and support to those who wish to
give up smoking, including our own
staff. This will be co-ordinated through
7

average of
26%)
the Health Improvement Department.
In the Belfast Trust we have a Smoking
Cessation service which provides
support for patients and staff who are
motivated to stop smoking. This
support is arranged at a time and
venue that suits the individuals needs.
The Smoking Cessation Service is
made up of 5 staff:
3 of these staff are midwives who work
with pregnant woman and their
partners in the Hospital and community
setting.
2 of these staff work in the 4 acute
Hospitals of the Belfast Trust to provide
support to patients and staff to help
them stop smoking. Staff can access
free Nicotine Replacement Therapy as
part of this service.
8

Gender
Female
Male
51%
49%
*2011 census
. There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of gender.
Age 0-16
16-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
22%
11%
12%
14%
14%
12%
15%
*2011 census
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of age.
Religion
Protestant
Roman Catholic
No Religion or
No Religion
Stated
42%
41%
17%
*2011 census
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of religion.
Political
Opinion
Broadly Unionist
Broadly
Nationalist
Other
Do not wish to
answer/Unknown
48.3%
45.4%
2.3%
4%
* 2011 Assembly
election
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of political
opinion.
9

Marital Status
Single
Married
Other/Not known
36%
47%
17%
*2011 census
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of marital
status.
Dependent
Status
Caring for a child
dependant older
person/ person
with a disability
12% of usually
resident population
provide unpaid care
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of dependent
status.
None
Not known
* 2011 census
Disability
Yes
No
Not known
21%
69%
n/a
*2011 census
All smoking shelters are required to
have suitable physical access. The
policy will be communicated via a
range of mediums. For those with a
disability that requires support in
communication, this will be provided.
Ethnicity
White
non white
Not known
98.21%
1.8%
n/a
*2011 census
Where interpreting or translated
materials are required to communicate
this policy, these will be provided.
10

Sexual
Orientation
Opposite sex
Same sex/Same
and Opposite
sex
The general view in
NI is that an
estimated 6-10%
identify as lesbian,
gay, bisexual
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs in terms of sexual
orientation.
Do not wish to
answer/Not
known
*2012 report by
Disability Action &
Rainbow Project
Staff
The Belfast Trust is committed to positively influencing the health and wellbeing of our own staff, patients and
visitors. The policy is aimed at eliminating smoking on Trust Premises to assist staff, patients and visitors in
order to improve their health and wellbeing. There is no evidence to suggest that the policy will have an adverse
impact on the grounds of Section 75.
The Trust will offer a wide range of help and support to those who wish to give up smoking, including our own
staff. The Trust has a Smoking Cessation service which provides support for patients and staff who are
motivated to stop smoking. This support is arranged at a time and venue that suits the individual’s needs.
The Smoking Cessation Service is made up of 5 staff:
Staff can access free Nicotine Replacement Therapy as part of this service.
11

Category
Details of evidence/information
Staff
Total Trust
workforce as at
January 2013
Staff
affected
Needs, Experiences & Priorities
There is no evidence to suggest
different needs.
All section
75
categories
The Belfast Trust is committed to
positively influencing the health and
wellbeing of our own staff, patients and
visitors. The policy is aimed at
eliminating smoking on Trust Premises
to assist staff, patients and visitors in
order to improve their health and
wellbeing. There is no evidence to
suggest that the policy will have an
adverse impact on the grounds of
Section 75.
The Trust will offer a wide range of
help and support to those who wish to
give up smoking, including our own
staff. This will be co-ordinated through
the Health Improvement Department.
12

In the Belfast Trust we have a Smoking
Cessation service which provides
support for patients and staff who are
motivated to stop smoking. This
support is arranged at a time and
venue that suits the individuals needs.
The Smoking Cessation Service is
made up of 5 staff:
3 of these staff are midwives who work
with pregnant woman and their
partners in the Hospital and community
setting.
2 of these staff work in the 4 acute
Hospitals of the Belfast Trust to provide
support to patients and staff to help
them stop smoking. Staff can access
free Nicotine Replacement Therapy as
part of this service.
Gender
Female
Male
79%
21%
13

Age

Not known 60%
Disability
Yes
No
Not known
2%
66%
32%
All smoking shelters are required to
have suitable physical access. The
policy will be communicated via a
range of mediums, for those with a
disability that requires support in
communication, this will be provided.
Ethnicity
White
Non white
Not known
78%
4%
18%
Where interpreting or translated
materials are required to communicate
this policy, these will be provided.
Sexual
Orientation
(towards
people of the)
Opposite sex
Same sex/Same
and Opposite
sex
Do not wish to
answer/Not
known
36%
1%
66%
15

(2.2) Provide details of how you have involved stakeholders, views of colleagues, service users and staff etc
when screening this policy/proposal.
This policy has been developed by the Trust Smoke Free Working group which is made up of a wide range
of stakeholders including representatives from Trust service groups, patient representation and staff side.
The Trust have also been working along with the Public Health Agency and the other Health & Social Services
Trust in the development of the policy.
16

(3) Screening Questions
You now have to assess whether the impact of the policy/proposal is major, minor or none. You will need to
make an informed judgement based on the information you have gathered.
Staff
(3.1)What is the likely impact of equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy/proposal, for
each of the Section 75 equality categories?
Section 75
Category
Details of policy/proposal
impact
Level of impact?
Minor/major/none
Gender None for all 9
categories
(3.2) Are there
opportunities to better
promote equality of
opportunity for people
within Section 75 equality
categories?
If yes, provide details.
If no, provide reasons.
The policy is aimed at all
staff, service users, visitors
and the public to improve
health and wellbeing and
reduce inequalities,
including those in Section
75 groups. A
communications campaign
will be carried out to ensure
that all staff are aware of
the policy.
17

Age
Religion
Political Opinion
Marital Status
Dependent Status
Disability
Ethnicity
Sexual Orientation
All smoking shelters are
required to have suitable
physical access. The policy
will be communicated via a
range of mediums, for
those with a disability that
requires support in
communication, this will be
provided.
Where interpreting or
translated materials are
required to communicate
this policy, these will be
provided.
Service Users
(3.1) What is the likely impact of equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy/proposal, for
each of the Section 75 equality categories?
Category
Details of policy/proposal
impact
Level of impact?
Minor/major/none
(3.2) Are there
opportunities to better
promote equality of
opportunity for people
18

within Section 75 equality
categories?
Gender None for all 9
categories
Age
Religion
Political Opinion
Marital Status
Dependent Status
Disability
Ethnicity
Sexual Orientation
If yes, provide details.
If no, provide reasons.
The policy is aimed at all
staff, service users, visitors
and the public to improve
health and wellbeing and
reduce inequalities,
including those in Section
75 groups. A
communications campaign
will be carried out to ensure
that service users, the
public and visitors are
aware of the policy.
19

(3.3)
To what extent is the policy/proposal likely to impact on good relations between people of different
religious belief, political opinion or racial group? Minor/major/none
Good relations Details of policy/proposal impact Level of impact
category
Religious belief
Political opinion
Racial group
The policy is aimed at improving the health
and wellbeing of staff, service users,
clients, volunteers and members of the
public and will not have an impact in terms
of good relations
Minor/major/none
None
None
None
(3.4)
Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief,
political opinion or racial group?
Good relations category
Religious belief
Please provide details
The Belfast Trust is committed to ensuring that each of its facilities
are neutral, safe and welcoming to all service users. In order to
achieve this, the Trust has developed a good relations strategy
which includes a number of actions and projects which include a
Good Relations statement that will be visible in all Trust facilities.
The statement expresses BHSCT’s commitment to providing an
environment where Health and Social Care is provided in a safe
and welcoming environment. The Trust also has a harmonious
working environment policy for staff and a policy that all staff must
receive mandatory equality, diversity good relation and human
rights training. The Trust is committed to working in partnership
with staff, service users, the community, statutory organisations
20

and voluntary and community organisations to ensure that service
users receive the highest quality of health and social care in the
right place at the right time in a neutral, safe and welcoming
environment.
The religious, cultural and spiritual needs of all staff and service
users will be accommodated.
Political opinion
Racial group
As above
As above
(4) Is there an opportunity to better address the health and social inequalities of
groups/areas in greatest social, economic or educational need by altering the
policy/decision?
Suggestions
Smoking prevalence in Belfast remains around 30% (compared to the Northern Ireland average of 26%) and the
gap in smoking rates between people in manual and non-manual groups has increased.
There is a strong link between cigarette smoking and socio-economic group. Smoking has been identified as the
single biggest cause of inequality in death rates between rich and poor in the UK.
Smoking accounts for over half of the difference in risk of premature death between social classes.
Long-term smokers bear the heaviest burden of death and disease related to their smoking. Long term smokers
are disproportionately drawn from lower socio-economic groups. People in poorer social groups who smoke,
start smoking at an earlier age: of those in managerial and professional households about one third start
smoking before age 16 compared with almost half of those in routine and manual households
21

This policy is aimed at improving the health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities of Staff, patients, clients,
visitors, volunteers and members of the public using our facilities and services.
22

(5) Consideration of Disability Duties
How does the policy/proposal or decision currently encourage disabled people to participate in public
life and promote positive attitudes towards disabled people? Consider what other measures you could
take.
The Belfast Trust is committed to encouraging disabled people to participate in public life and promote positive
attitudes towards disabled people? The policy is aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of all staff, service
users, visitors, volunteers and the public. Measures will be taken to ensure that where support and alternative
forms of communication are required with regard to this policy this will be implemented.
All smoking shelters are required to have suitable physical access.
Disability awareness training is available to all staff.
For example, have your staff received disability equality training or training on the Trust’s Patient and Client
Experience Standards?
23

(6) Consideration of Human Rights
(6.1) Does the policy/proposal affect anyone’s human rights in a positive, negative or neutral way?
Complete for each of the articles
Article
Article 2 – Right to life
Positive
impact
Negative
impact =
human right
interfered
with or
restricted
Neutral
impact
Article 3 – Right to freedom from torture, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment
Article 4 – Right to freedom from slavery, servitude & forced or
compulsory labour
Article 5 – Right to liberty & security of person
Article 6 – Right to a fair & public trial within a reasonable time
Article 7 – Right to freedom from retrospective criminal law &
no punishment without law
Article 8 – Right to respect for private & family life, home and
correspondence.
Article 9 – Right to freedom of thought, conscience & religion
Article 10 – Right to freedom of expression
24

Article 11 – Right to freedom of assembly & association
Article 12 – Right to marry & found a family
Article 14 – Prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of
the convention rights
1 st protocol Article 1 – Right to a peaceful enjoyment of
possessions & protection of property
1 st protocol Article 2 – Right of access to education
Please note: If you have identified potential negative impact in relation to any of the Articles in the table above,
speak to your line manager and/or a representative from the Equality Team. It may also be necessary to seek
legal advice.
(6.2) Please outline any actions you will take to promote awareness of human rights and evidence that
human rights have been taken into consideration in decision making processes.
The Belfast HSC Trust is committed to the promotion of Human Rights for all staff and service users. All staff
must attend mandatory equality, diversity, good relations and human rights training.
25

(7) Screening Decision
(7.1) Given the answers in Section 4, how would you categorise the impacts of this
policy/proposal?
Major impact
Minor impact
No impact
(7.2) Do you consider the policy/proposal needs to be subjected to ongoing screening?
Yes
No
A full Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) is usually confined to those policies or decisions considered to have
major implications for equality of opportunity.
(7.3) Do you think the policy/proposal should be subject to an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA)?
Yes
No
26

(7.4) Please give reasons for your decision.
The Belfast Trust is committed to positively influencing the health and wellbeing of our own staff, patients,
visitors, and the public and reducing health inequalities. This policy is aimed at preventing people smoking or
from passive smoking and improving health and wellbeing and will not have an adverse impact in terms of
Section 75 .
(7.5) If you have identified any impact, what mitigation have you considered to address this?
27

(8) Monitoring.
In line with the guidance, you will be obliged to monitor this policy every 2 years.
Please detail how you will monitor the effect of the policy/proposal for equality of opportunity and good
relations, disability duties and human rights?
The implementation of the policy will be monitored by a number of methods:
Managers will record incidences of breaches of the policy using the Trust’s Incident Form.
Human resources will collate information on the number and range of adverse incidents and provide
regular reports to the Implementation group.
Health Improvement/Occupational Health providing information on the numbers of people seeking help in
giving up smoking.
The Director Of Nursing / Medical Director will provide an Implementation Report to the Trust Board
annually.
28

Approved Lead Officer:
Position:
Date:
Bryan Nelson
Senior Manager Health Improvement
15 April 2013
Policy/proposal screened by
Equality Manager:
Employment Equality
Manager:
Veronica McEneaney
Miriam Gibson
Please forward completed schedule to lesley.jamieson@belfasttrust.hscni.net
29