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It's not a smoke free site

Story from nhs.uk

"It's not a smoke free site"

About: University Hospital Of North Durham

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I understand that in theory Durham Hospital is a 'smoke free' site. However this is certainly not the case. I take my young daughter to very regular appointments at the hospital and almost without fail we have to walk through the smell and fumes of people smoking right outside the main entrance. In all our visits I have never seen anyone being asked to stop smoking. Whilst there is certainly a huge poster on the hospital wall declaring it to be a smoke free site this is not targeted enough at the people who come in and out through the main entrance. There needs to be large signs at eye level and people need to be challenged when they break the rules. At the moment it is an unpleasant experience coming in and out of the building and I certainly would not want to go to that area to get some fresh air, as it certainly wouldn't be fresh.

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Responses

Response from University Hospital Of North Durham 10 years ago
University Hospital Of North Durham

Submitted on 09/12/2013 at 10:53
Published on nhs.uk on 10/12/2013 at 03:00

Thank you for providing feedback on your recent visit to University Hospital of North Durham. I am very sorry to hear that both you and your daughter have to walk through the smokers at the main entrance at University Hospital of North Durham. I understand that this is very unpleasant for many patients/relatives/staff. If a member of staff from the hospital does see anyone smoking, they do challenge them and ask them to put out their cigarette or move away from hospital grounds. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your concerns with you. If you feel this would be useful please contact the Trust’s Patient Experience Team on 0800 7835774. If you would prefer to contact us by e-mail, our address is patient.experience@cddft.nhs.uk Alternatively, you can write to us at the following address: - Patient Experience Team Darlington Memorial Hospital Hollyhurst Road Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX If you do decide to contact us, please make us aware that you have left comments on the NHS Choices website. The Trust is grateful for all feedback, positive or negative, as it means we can better understand what is important to our patients. Thank you for leaving your comments on NHS Choices. Patient Experience Team County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust Tel: 0800 7835774

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