NHS hospitals open vaping shops to help patients and visitors stop smoking The retail outlets, run by Ecigwizard, are based at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, and Birmingham City Hospital

Two NHS hospitals in the the West Midlands have become the first in the UK to start selling e-cigarettes to patients and visitors in a bid to help eliminate smoking.

The retail outlets, run by Ecigwizard, are based at Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, and Birmingham City Hospital, both of which are run by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

The shops were given approval to run from within the hospitals by the Trust as part of its mission to deter all patients, visitors and staff from smoking. The stores’ openings come amid a clampdown by the trust on smoking on its grounds, with people being issued £50 fines since 5 July 5 if they light up. Security cameras are also being used to police smoking.

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Using e-cigarettes outside is allowed, on condition that it takes place away from doorways, while smoking shelters have been converted into vaping areas.

‘Smoke-free world’

The trust’s medical director, Dr David Carruthers, said his organisation’s board and clinical leaders are united in the view that eliminating passive smoking on its sites is a public health necessity.

“Every alternative is available and we ask visitors and patients to work with us to enforce these changes,” he said. “Giving up smoking saves you money and saves your health.”

Ben Potter, a director at Ecigwizard, said: “The UK continues to show the world that vaping products are a valuable tool in the long-term goal of creating a smoke-free world.”

‘Out of step’

However, the move comes months after a leading British expert accused Public Health England (PHE) of ignoring mounting evidence about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, claimed the UK is “out of step” with other countries when it comes to messages concerning vaping safety.

He said San Francisco’s decision in June to become the first major US city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes was “sensible”. Professor McKee argued that e-cigarettes should not be actively promoted as a stop-smoking aid without knowing more about the effects of inhaling nicotine and flavouring chemicals.

PHE has campaigned for smokers to switch to e-cigarettes on the basis that they are 95 per cent less harmful than tobacco products – a figure disputed by Professor McKee.

E-cigarette use continues to rise, with 6.3 per cent of British adults vaping in 2018, up from 5.5 per cent the previous year, according to figures analysed by NHS Digital earlier this month. Just over half (51.5 per cent) of those vaping said it was to help them quit smoking.

It was revealed this week that the government plans to eliminate smoking from Britain by 2030, according to reports of leaked documents.

It is expected that Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce the target next week when he presents a green paper on the importance of prevention.