Press release: NICE help for
employers ahead of smoking ban.
In the
countdown to England becoming smokefree, the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) will issue public health guidance on the most
effective ways
to encourage and support employees to stop smoking.
The guidance, due in late spring, is aimed at everyone responsible for ensuring
that workplaces are smokefree from 1st July. This includes employers and those
involved providing smoking cessation help in the workplace.
Professor Mike Kelly, Director - Centre for Public Health Excellence said:
"As businesses and organisations prepare to go smokefree in July, the guidance
we will shortly issue will support employers by recommending effective methods
to help their employees quit smoking. Although employers aren't obliged to help
employees stop smoking, providing support to help employees quit could help
reduce the chances of falling foul of July's legislation. The guidance will
highlight the benefits to businesses in terms of productivity and improvements
to employees' health. Smoking is a key public health priority as well as the
principal cause of inequalities in death rates between rich and poor in this
country. The forthcoming NICE guidance will support organisations and health
professionals ahead of this major public health milestone."
For more information call Dr Tonya Gillis on 020 7067 5937 or alternatively you
can email: tonya.gillis@nice.org.uk