By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

CIGARETTE BREAKS are about to get a lot longer.

Tayside health bosses want to ban staff from smoking anywhere on an NHS site, including private vehicles.

It now seems likely that smokers will have to drive to the nearest public road or other non-NHS site for a fly puff.

The controversial subject of NHS Tayside’s smoking policy came back to members of the full board of NHS Tayside, meeting in Kings Cross Hospital yesterday.

They had previously heard proposals to ban smoking on NHS sites that went beyond legislation about to be brought in banning smoking in public places across Scotland.

The Courier previously reported that NHS Tayside is altering smoking shelters, basically by taking out some of the windows, to comply with the forthcoming legislation. They were too “enclosed” to meet the requirements of the ban.

Staff will be allowed to smoke in these shelters but their employer intends to extend the ban beyond the requirements of the legislation to prevent staff from lighting up in the grounds of NHS premises. In-patients will still be allowed to use the shelters when the extended ban is brought in on November 23.

Yesterday health bosses were told it was the organisation’s attempt to prevent staff smoking in their own cars on any NHS site that was meeting with particular resistance from staff.

Indeed, more than one person around the board table described that element of the policy as “unenforceable” and “unworkable”.

Staff representative on the board John Thomson said he backed the national legislation and supported NHS Tayside in so far as they were making ready to comply with the legislation.

But he said that after consultation with staff it was clear many people were unhappy, in particular with the ban on smoking in private vehicles.

He said a number of people had indicated they would “challenge” any attempt to impose such a ban.

“That certainly is causing us great concern,” said Mr Thomson.

“It is just unworkable, especially on a site like Ninewells, and it is unenforceable.”

He also hinted that the ban on smoking in the grounds of NHS premises was putting staff at risk.

“We have a number of clinics out in the community which actually border on to public roads,” said Mr Thomson.

“At the moment staff are standing on these public roads to have a cigarette. That is not going to change when the new policy comes into force.”

He further warned of a possible threat to overtime working by smokers.

“The health service depends on individuals being asked to work additional hours to cover shifts,” said Mr Thomson.

“If an individual smokes and they are not going to be given the opportunity to have some facility where they can have a break and a cigarette they will not work these hours.”

Board chairman Peter Bates said that as a health authority if NHS Tayside could not set “an exemplar standard” then they had no right to expect others to set those standards.

Mr Bates said the legislation about to be brought in banning smoking in enclosed public places across Scotland was probably the biggest change that would have a positive effect on public health in the last 100 years.

Board members unanimously agreed to meet the requirements of the national legislation by March 26.

They further agreed with the exception of Mr Thomson, to measures which went beyond the requirements of the legislation, including the ban on smoking in private cars on NHS sites.

Those measures would be implemented in full from November 23.