This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/6589285.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Firms urged to help smokers quit | Firms urged to help smokers quit |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Workers should be given time off without losing pay to attend stop smoking clinics, NHS experts say. | Workers should be given time off without losing pay to attend stop smoking clinics, NHS experts say. |
| It is part of a range of measures being recommended to businesses by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). | It is part of a range of measures being recommended to businesses by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). |
| The watchdog said employers should be doing all they can to help staff give up smoking in the lead up to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. | The watchdog said employers should be doing all they can to help staff give up smoking in the lead up to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. |
| But the smokers' lobby group Forest said the idea was ridiculous. | But the smokers' lobby group Forest said the idea was ridiculous. |
| Smoking is estimated to cost industry £5bn in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage. | Smoking is estimated to cost industry £5bn in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage. |
| Employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20 a day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping David SloanNICE | Employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20 a day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping David SloanNICE |
| NICE said businesses should be trying to encourage staff to give up smoking prior to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. | NICE said businesses should be trying to encourage staff to give up smoking prior to the start of the ban in England on 1 July. |
| It prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces and comes after similar bans have been introduced elsewhere in the UK. | It prohibits smoking in all enclosed public places and workplaces and comes after similar bans have been introduced elsewhere in the UK. |
| The guidance said employers should develop a specific policy on how to support employees who want to give up smoking. | The guidance said employers should develop a specific policy on how to support employees who want to give up smoking. |
| This should include detailed information on where staff can go for help. | This should include detailed information on where staff can go for help. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY A person's choice to smoke has nothing to do with employers James Ashwin, Oxford Send us your comments It also calls on NHS "stop smoking" services to help business support staff by running clinics on firms' premises if there is demand. | HAVE YOUR SAY A person's choice to smoke has nothing to do with employers James Ashwin, Oxford Send us your comments It also calls on NHS "stop smoking" services to help business support staff by running clinics on firms' premises if there is demand. |
| The most radical suggestion is that employers should allow staff to attend anti-smoking clinics in work time. | The most radical suggestion is that employers should allow staff to attend anti-smoking clinics in work time. |
| Dr John Moore-Gillon, President of the British Lung Foundation. "We hope all employers would try to improve the general health of their employees. | |
| "However, employers would have to decide for how long they were prepared to give employees time off to attend smoking cessation clinics. | |
| "Large employers could consider whether organising lunchtime or after work clinics might be helpful." | |
| Staff | Staff |
| The Federation of Small Businesses said it would be up to individual employers to decide if this was appropriate. | The Federation of Small Businesses said it would be up to individual employers to decide if this was appropriate. |
| But Mary Boughton, the federation's health and safety chairman, said the measures could help to "improve the health of staff and productivity of business". | But Mary Boughton, the federation's health and safety chairman, said the measures could help to "improve the health of staff and productivity of business". |
| "Small businesses recognise the need to support their staff in the workplace." | "Small businesses recognise the need to support their staff in the workplace." |
| Similar bans have been introduced in other parts of the UK | Similar bans have been introduced in other parts of the UK |
| However, some business representatives have privately questioned whether it is right for employers to interfere with people's personal lives. | However, some business representatives have privately questioned whether it is right for employers to interfere with people's personal lives. |
| And Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that workers should attend stop smoking clinics during working hours. | And Simon Clark, director of smokers' lobby group Forest said it was "absolutely ridiculous" that workers should attend stop smoking clinics during working hours. |
| "It's wrong to expect employers to accept employees taking time off, and I imagine their non-smoking colleagues will be very unhappy about it." | "It's wrong to expect employers to accept employees taking time off, and I imagine their non-smoking colleagues will be very unhappy about it." |
| And he added that any such move would be likely to be open to abuse as "people will take advantage as they have an excuse to take time off work". | And he added that any such move would be likely to be open to abuse as "people will take advantage as they have an excuse to take time off work". |
| Dr David Sloan, a public health specialist at NICE, said: "We know that overall around three out of four smokers want to quit. | Dr David Sloan, a public health specialist at NICE, said: "We know that overall around three out of four smokers want to quit. |
| "It's important for employees and their representatives to work with employers on what support they need to give up smoking, and to encourage their employers to make support available. | "It's important for employees and their representatives to work with employers on what support they need to give up smoking, and to encourage their employers to make support available. |
| "Along with the health benefits of stopping smoking, employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20-a-day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping." | "Along with the health benefits of stopping smoking, employees who quit will give themselves an instant pay rise - a 20-a-day smoker will save nearly £2,000 a year by stopping." |