Smokefree inpatient units urged

'Issue' in mental health

The Southland District Health Board is being encouraged to make its mental health ward smokefree.

A letter tabled at a Hospital Advisory Committee meeting yesterday outlined the Health Ministry's support for boards that were considering banning smoking inside their mental health inpatient units.

Southland Hospital interim chief operating officer Leanne Samuel told the committee that smoking was a major issue in mental health and work was being done on how to support clients and staff to give up smoking.

"It's a real opportunity to have a change of culture," she said.

A committee member questioned whether giving up smoking would add to the stress of mental health patients admitted to the ward but Ms Samuel said the aim was to work with patients at a primary care level when they were well and back living in the community.

The letter from national mental health acting director Charles Hornabrook and tobacco control national director Ashley Bloomfield says smoking rates are high among mental health service users, with one study suggesting that one third of the cigarettes bought in New Zealand are consumed by people with mental disorders.

They recommend that if a smokefree policy is adopted then outdoor areas for smoking be created for mental heath service users.

"There is a perception that addressing a mental health service user's nicotine addiction is not appropriate during impatient treatment as it may exacerbate symptoms and add an unwelcome degree of complexity to the treatment process," the letter says.

"However, while there certainly are specific challenges to overcome, there is no robust evidence that we are aware of to show that a smoke-free policy cannot be successfully implemented in an inpatient facility.

"We urge DHB mental health services to do what they can to support service users who smoke to quit, ensuring there is ready access to appropriate nicotine replacement therapy and actively supporting and managing service users' cessation efforts."

- © Fairfax NZ News