Smoking ban: what does this mean for your care service?
24 May 2007
Find out what changes are needed to your service from
the new law that will ban smoking in public places like care
homes.
The legislation introduced by the Department of Health from
1 July 2007 will affect:
Care homes
Smoking will only be allowed in certain rooms
that are clearly marked – such as a bedroom or designated room that
can be accessed by all residents.
These rooms will be checked by your local council and must meet
the requirements of Regulation 2 of the Smoke-free (Premises and
Enforcement) Regulations 2006.
New website and extra guidance
You can find a range of booklets, guidance and posters
from the NHS website called SmokeFreeEngland (takes
you to another website)
Key regulations
Read the key regulations for care services
available from the Office of Public Sector Information website:
Note – mental health units
Under Regulation 10 of the Smoke-free (Exemptions and Vehicles)
Regulations 2007, mental health units are not
included in the new law until 1 July 2008.
These units are not care homes - they are
medical treatment centres regulated by the Healthcare
Commission.
Domiciliary care and nurses agencies
People’s homes do not have to be smoke free when a carer or
nurse is providing personal or nursing care.
Staff who don’t smoke may ask to use a smoke
free room that has not been used for smoking within the last hour
of their visit - and it should be well–ventilated, for example with
opened windows.
Read the regulation about smoking in people’s
homes on the Office of Public Sector Information website:
Your staff
You will need to find out how to cut down the level of smoke
your staff are exposed to and help protect them
from second-hand smoke.
Useful links
Find out more
Get
help using PDFs