From the BBC
The NHS must stop turning a "blind eye" to smoking and ban it in all hospital grounds in England, according to new guidance.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said it wanted to see smoking shelters scrapped so patients, visitors and staff could not light up.
Staff should also stop helping patients out of their beds to go for a smoke.
And patients who smoke must be identified and offered help to quit, the guidance added.
It said nurses, doctors and other staff could give brief advice and then refer smokers on to NHS stopping smoking services.
This is what I despise about the big state, and one of many reasons why I am utterly in favour of privatising the NHS.
When I have a problem with my car, my mechanic fixes it. It might also be that he advises me about things I could do to prolong the life of it, and I appreciate that advice. If my mechanic tried to stop me wearing through brakes, he'd soon find himself no longer my mechanic. It's none of his business.
The NHS is there to fix people's health. Part of it's job is also to advise people on what's good for their health. When it steps into trying to stop people doing things, it's not doing it's job.
Right now, it can do this, because hospitals have a monopoly. Some elderly guy who's had a hip operation whose one small pleasure in life is his roll-ups can be stopped by an uncaring bully. You're not going to get those people to quit anyway. Most people who quit do so at a younger age. Old people figure something's going to kill them soon anyway.
So, let's imagine a competitive model. The old NHS hospital tells an old man he can't smoke when having his hip done. So, he tells his mate about it. When his mate needs his hip done, he says "no, not going there, I'd like to be able to go out for a smoke". The private hospital that considers what the patient wants, rather that their own opinions get the job. And we put a bunch of fascists out of work, or force them to modify their behavior.
If I had the spare time, I'd create a service where I drove up to the hospital grounds, drove people off them where they could have a smoke and drive them back on again, just to piss off these bastards.
