What about vaping?
As vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking, we will also be encouraging people who cannot stop using support and medication alone to try vaping as a way of stopping smoking entirely.
Vaping is allowed outdoors on all sites, and we ask those people who do vape to be considerate of others and not to vape near entrances and open windows. Staff are permitted to remain in uniform whilst vaping and there is no requirement for staff to remove Trust identifiers, such as ID badges or lanyards, whilst vaping.
NICE guidance NG209 recommends the use of vaping as a complete replacement for smoking, and whilst it recognises that vaping may not be entirely risk free, it is certainly far less harmful than continuing to smoke. As there is no safe level of tobacco smoking, the guidance recommends that people who vape stop smoking entirely to minimise their risk and that people vape only for as long as required to prevent them from returning to smoking.
They recommend that people providing advice to smokers on the use of vaping devices give clear, consistent and up-to-date information to adults who are interested in using them to stop smoking (for example, see the NCSCT e-cigarette guide and Public Health England’s information on e-cigarettes and vaping). [2021]
