Vape shops open in two ‘smoke-free’ hospitals

E-cigarette shops have opened in two hospitals in the West Midlands after the NHS trust running the hospitals went smoke-free on 5 July 2019.

The shops, run by Ecigwizard, opened in Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich and Birmingham City Hospital, both run by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

In a statement, David Carruthers, medical director at the Trust, said: “We know that vaping is a route to cutting down or quitting smoking, and there is evidence that it is not a route into smoking among young people, a group whom we would actively discourage from taking up vaping.”

“Switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits, with the aim of stopping both smoking and vaping in the long-term,” he added.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust banned smoking anywhere on its premises on 5 July 2019. Anyone caught ignoring the ban will face a £50 fine.

NHS Digital data, published on 2 July 2019, revealed that the number of cigarette smokers in England fell by 0.5% between 2017 and 2018, while the number of e-cigarette users increased by 0.8% in that time.