MEDICAL staff at Fairfield Hospital are to be banned from smoking during working hours.

Smoking shelters are to be erected in the grounds of the Rochdale Old Road hospital to replace a smoking area outside the building.

But staff will only be able to use the shelters for the first 12 months, before a total ban is imposed. Patients and visitors will be allowed to carry on using the specified zones.

The same policy will be applied to all hospitals within the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, including North Manchester General Hospital. At the same time, staff and patients will be given free help to quit smoking.

Marian Carroll, Pennine Acute's director of nursing, said: "Smoking controls apply in every single hospital in the country, yet we're absolutely sure that some staff and patients will be unaware of the free support which is available to help them quit.

"We, more than many other people, know exactly how difficult it is to stop smoking, and any small obstacle, such as perceived cost, could put an individual off."

She added: "There's lots of evidence that attempts to stop smoking are most successful when people have made a positive decision to make a lifestyle change. That is why smoking cessation teams already visit new parents - the birth of a baby can really focus your mind.

"Similarly, being a patient or visiting someone in hospital can also see you decide to try to give up smoking.

"This programme will be a mix of publicity and advice, putting the spotlight on both the help available and the smoke-free environment being created in our hospitals."

Mrs Carroll concluded: "We need to discuss with staff how best to implement it as everyone recognises just how difficult it is to quit smoking, and we will be seeking a partnership approach with those staff."

Help and advice will be made available to patients and visitors, as well as staff, by the area's primary care trust's smoking cessation teams. The teams can be contacted on 01706 708000 for Bury and on 0161 205 5998 for North Manchester