Marshals to patrol Russells Hall Hospital to enforce smoking ban
Marshals will be introduced at Russells Hall Hospital in a bid to crack down on smoking.
Security will conduct patrols around the Pensnett Road site as part of a plan to enforce its current ban on lighting-up.
It comes after the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, went smoke-free in June this year.
Experts say the move would result in fewer admissions, shorter patient stays and a population which "ages more healthily".
Now health bosses are taking action after people were found to be still lighting-up despite the ban.
Diane Wake, chief executive of the Trust, said the move was "positive" and would help people adjust to the change.
Ms Wake said: "As a healthcare trust, we clearly wish to promote a healthy environment.
"Since launching our smoke-free policy on the June 3, we have inevitably still been experiencing smoking on our sites whilst staff, patients and visitors adjust to this new change.
"We believe that implementing smoking marshals to help patrol our site is the next positive phase of enforcing our smoke-free policy, and we ask everyone to respect them during their duties."
The marshals will be on-site Monday to Friday, between 9am to 5pm, carrying out regular checks of the hospital.
They will ask anyone seen smoking to move off-site – as well as providing information and support to staff who want to quit.
The ban means patients, visitors and staff are no longer allowed to light-up – or use electronic cigarettes – across the entire hospital and the Guest and Corbett outpatient centres.
Meanwhile the NHS trust in charge of Walsall Manor Hospital has announced it is also banning smoking at all of its sites.
