Royal Derby Hospital
Royal Derby Hospital criticised for having ashtrays on bins despite smoking ban
People have called for a designated shelter
Anna Whittaker
The Royal Derby Hospital is supposed to be a smoke free zone (Image: Derby Telegraph)
The Royal Derby Hospital has come under fire for having ashtrays on bins despite a site ban on smoking.
It comes after a Derby man slammed "disrespectful" patients and visitors for smoking outside the cancer ward at the hospital.
Smokers were pictured stood in front of signs which said: "I'm coming here for my chemotherapy. I shouldn't have to breathe in your smoke."
A spokesperson for the hospital said smoking is not permitted at any time within the trust's grounds - but many readers have expressed their confusion as to why there are ashtrays on top of bins around the hospital.
Lindsey Elson said: "If there are 'no smoking' signs on the hospital grounds then why do they have ashtrays at the entrance of the hospital?
"Surely the ashtrays being placed there encourages people to smoke.
Derby man slams 'disrespectful' smokers outside Royal Derby Hospital's cancer ward
"They need to remove them and build a smoking shelter away from the main hospital grounds."
The hospital runs a campaign, 'Think Again' which urges patients and visitors not to smoke on hospital grounds.
The Royal Derby Hospital (Image: Derby Telegraph)
Abbie Davy-Cripwell added: "I think one of the problems - apart from the bins with ashtrays being right there - is that it's not obvious enough where you CAN smoke, it just says not on the hospital grounds, but where do they end?
"There needs to be a specific space for people visiting the grounds to smoke, that's far enough away to not bother other people.
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"It's an addiction, so you can't stop people from smoking when they visit, but you can put the smokers area a safe and comfortable distance away from the hospital, add some benches and a specific bin, with a shelter and people will rather go to it then stand outside the hospital."
But another reader, Kerry Stevens, said: "People will smoke there ashtrays or not, if there are no ashtrays the butts end up on the floor."
A spokesperson for the hospital said: "While we discourage smoking on our sites, it is also important that we help ensure that any lit cigarettes are put out and then discarded safely.
"Use of the ashtrays help reduce the number of bin fires caused by failing to put out cigarettes properly, as well as preventing littering."
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