MAGAZINE

Our cartoon style film is on our website: merseycare.nhs.ukAre you telling peoplethey can’t smoke?Surely that’s up to them?People do have a choice, but whenthey are with us they can’t smoke.We will ensure that we always havethe staff available to offer supportand NRT.But it’s a basic human rightLegally it isn’t. The Human Rights Act1998 states that “everyone’s right tolife shall be protected by law.” Wealso have a right to ensure people’swellbeing. People with commonmental health problems face a 70per cent higher death rate than thegeneral population. That’s 51,000deaths - we can’t ignore that.What about the staff? Theymight worry that people willbecome aggressive if theyare told they can’t smoke.Because we are replacing the nicotineconstantly people don’t have withdrawalsymptoms. Other trusts have toldus there has been no difference inincidences of violence and aggressionsince they went smoke free.Will staff be trained tosupport people andadminister nicotinereplacement products?That’s crucial for this to besuccessful. All staff will be givensmoking cessation training and willuse their therapeutic skills to supportand educate people and monitor anyconcerns. They will reassure patientsthat we will help them by providingadequate nicotine replacement in aform they choose and giving themone to one support. We will, in turn,support staff and each ward willhave a smoking ‘champion’ whostaff can call on for help.What about e-cigarettes?People won’t be able to use e-cigaretteswhile they are on our premises and wewon’t provide them. They are notregulated or licenced as medicines,we don’t yet know what’s in them orhow safe they are and we wouldn’tgive a medicine to someone if itwasn’t approved.If the service user is givenNRT and they go on leave andsmoke, could they overdose?Nicotine overdose associated withNRT use in smokers is uncommon.Smokers are generally used to verylarge doses of nicotine. If someone iscraving while wearing a patch, theymay need more NRT to reduce thecraving.Why are you doing this?We have a duty of care to protect thehealth of people who use or work inour services. Smoking is the largestsingle preventable cause of illness anddeath. People with a mental illnesswho smoke have a higher chance ofbecoming ill or dying earlier than thegeneral population. By doing this wehave an opportunity to help peoplebecome well and live longer.24