Smoking in mental health centres

[FridgeMagnet]

that's the thing, I want to understand why this happens, are staff overworked or not trained well to handle a situation like this. If anything I'm not going after patients as they are vulnerable themselves. I want to hold power into account and hopefully change the regulations, or for them to consider changing regulations because at the end of the day patient recovery is being effected. The first thing you will see on the NHS website is smoking is not allowed on the wards, but if people can get away with smoking then what about weed?

The regulations say that smoking (of any sort) is banned on NHS wards, and certainly smoking illegal drugs is. So it's not a question of regulations allowing this to happen. Some people will want to smoke, tobacco or weed, and in some cases they will try to do it on the ward - this will likely happen outside of MH wards too, but there may be added elements as to why people don't want to go outside, or are not allowed outside.

But it also sounds to me like you need to challenge your preconceptions here. How bad really is it if people smoke weed? If it's seen and proved the person would most likely get thrown out, but it there's no proof what would you like to see happen, and what would that mean in terms of what is really meant to happen on that ward? Strip-searches of everyone for potential possession? What is it that you think a MH ward is for? Should someone get thrown out if they've been smoking weed, given how incredibly common it is as self-medication, and/or under what circumstances?

Also you might like to think about why people who have been involved in the MH system might be suspicious of "journalists" and tell them to fuck off. Why would that be? What in the history of journalism could have led to them taking that attitude?

 

[anam]

I think it varies depending on which hospital trust it is and which site. Round here all smoking is banned on nhs property so there's no smoking on the ward or in the enclosed outside spaces then theres no smoking in the grounds or the car park, patients are not allowed but not stopped from smoking in a discreet area of the car park.
Patients taking tobacco onto the ward have to hand it in to the staff but the staff are not allowed to return it until discharge (on other sites the staff can give it back next time the patient goes out). Patients have to hide their baccy etc in the bushes.
Weed is not allowed funnily enough, it can make some patients really take a serious turn for the worse , if you're caught with it as a patient they'll normally just dispose of it.
Undoubtably patients get up to all sorts of mischief so smoking fags and weed on the wards does happen.

That is what I have gathered, smoking is banned on NHS property and especially on mental health wards. But I want to understand what makes a patient sneek weed or alcohol in the ward, and most importantly how can this be overlooked by staff. I completely understand nurses can be overworked and they generally do provide an excellent service overall so I want to target the bosses, the people in charge, when an incident is reported, what happens next? This is why I want to talk to as many people as possible to get a clear picture on the issue at hand.

 

[Shechemite]

when an incident is reported, what happens next?

Get the tunes on, order a pizza, remember the good times etc

 

[anam]

I would normally, but from the op I felt there was an agenda behind the questions and my feelings turned out to be correct. How many journalists articles regarding drug use and mental health are well considered, nuanced peices of writing that bring real understanding compared to those that are sensationalist and finger pointing?

It feels like the OP has an agenda and would like to build a story to fit.

That is a very fair point, and yes I should have put at the start I am a journalist wanting a clear understanding of the issue I am looking at. I understand depending on the organisation/what you consume as a form of news, it can have a certain agender behind it. But again this varies between organisation to organisation, you will need to research further into each company to get a better understanding of this. As I am not part of any company I have no such agender, In fact, I am building my piece to be non-biased and as equal as possible.

 

[anam]

Get the tunes on, order a pizza, remember the good times etc

So nothing at all?

 

[Shechemite]

So nothing at all?

just a joke about what they’d do with the gear they confiscated

 

[nogojones]

But I want to understand what makes a patient sneek weed or alcohol in the ward, and most importantly how can this be overlooked by staff.

Three reasons a patient may take cannabisor booze on a ward:

1. They enjoy it
2. They have a problematic relationship with it and may want to continue their use of it as they are worried about the consequences of stopping use.
3. They may be using these substances to self medicate

Staff ain't prison guards, should they cavity search every new admission?

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

That is a very fair point, and yes I should have put at the start I am a journalist wanting a clear understanding of the issue I am looking at. I understand depending on the organisation/what you consume as a form of news, it can have a certain agender behind it. But again this varies between organisation to organisation, you will need to research further into each company to get a better understanding of this. As I am not part of any company I have no such agender, In fact, I am building my piece to be non-biased and as equal as possible.

You might think you don't have an agenda but your posts so far are absolutely loaded with assumptions. If you want to be non-biased and equal you might want to look at what those are.

 

[ice-is-forming]

That is what I have gathered, smoking is banned on NHS property and especially on mental health wards. But I want to understand what makes a patient sneek weed or alcohol in the ward, and most importantly how can this be overlooked by staff. I completely understand nurses can be overworked and they generally do provide an excellent service overall so I want to target the bosses, the people in charge, when an incident is reported, what happens next? This is why I want to talk to as many people as possible to get a clear picture on the issue at hand.

Have a look at statistics around tobacco smoking and people with mental health issues. And think about self medication.

.6 Smokers often perceive their smoking to be helpful in relieving or managing psychiatric symptoms, such as feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.7

Just because you're in a mental health unit doesn't mean your need/dependency/cravings stop, for baccy, weed, alcohol etc.... The same as if you're in a general ward, if you smoke and you can get outside to a smoking area you will. Our local hospital has a bus stop outside the wall, it's always full of people attached to drips having a smoke.

This freedom is often denied to people on the mental health unit, who may be an involuntary patient, or who have barriers placed in their way to leaving the ward.

People may take substances in, or get them delivered because they don't want to/can't stop using. Have a read about dual diagnosis, and then have a read about how it's almost impossible to get treatment for it. For reasons people have listed already.

Mental health staff know this and chose to pick their battles. They are health workers not police. Having said that I seriously doubt anyone is smoking weed on the wards, it'd set the smoke alarms off for starters. Plus as weed is illigal the response to an incident would be to call the police, and just because people have mental health issues, doesn't mean they're stupid.

Seriously of all the stories about mental health you chose this non-story? In times where the treatment of people with mental health issues is still deplorable.

 

[ice-is-forming]

Three reasons a patient may take cannabisor booze on a ward:

1. They enjoy it
2. They have a problematic relationship with it and may want to continue their use of it as they are worried about the consequences of stopping use.
3. They may be using these substances to self medicate

Staff ain't prison guards, should they cavity search every new admission?

Or this put much more succinctly with bullet points

 

[TopCat]

There is no smoking in any of these places. 1 phone call to SLAM would have answered that.

 

[BristolEcho]

That is what I have gathered, smoking is banned on NHS property and especially on mental health wards. But I want to understand what makes a patient sneek weed or alcohol in the ward, and most importantly how can this be overlooked by staff. I completely understand nurses can be overworked and they generally do provide an excellent service overall so I want to target the bosses, the people in charge, when an incident is reported, what happens next? This is why I want to talk to as many people as possible to get a clear picture on the issue at hand.

What makes you do anything you enjoy or feel is beneficial?

What's your opinion on substance use outside of hospitals? How about alcohol use?

 

[anam]

You might think you don't have an agenda but your posts so far are absolutely loaded with assumptions. If you want to be non-biased and equal you might want to look at what those are.

Hi, I'm not bound by any assumptions at all, in fact, all my posts have been saying I want to talk to people who have witnessed this first hand, any ex-workers/patients for example. I want to get a better understanding of the situation as I have been made aware this goes on, that is why I wanted to start this conversation and investigate you can say further.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Three reasons a patient may take cannabisor booze on a ward:

1. They enjoy it
2. They have a problematic relationship with it and may want to continue their use of it as they are worried about the consequences of stopping use.
3. They may be using these substances to self medicate

Staff ain't prison guards, should they cavity search every new admission?

I reckon there can also be an aspect of maintaining a sense of self and autonomy. It can be aggressive to the psyche to be in these situations - losing control over your life, maybe feeling infantilised. Breaking the rules a bit and doing what you want can be a way to show that you are someone in control of their life, even in a small (and possibly unhealthy) way.

 

[pesh]

I have been made aware this goes on, that is why I wanted to start this conversation and investigate you can say further.

have you heard what the squirrels in Brixton get up to?

 

[Shechemite]

I reckon there can also be an aspect of maintaining a sense of self and autonomy. It can be aggressive to the psyche to be in these situations - losing control over your life, maybe feeling infantilised. Breaking the rules a bit and doing what you want can be a way to show that you are someone in control of their life, even in a small (and possibly unhealthy) way.

that or setting the fire alarms off/pulling down the posters/blocking the sinks and so on

 

[nogojones]

have you heard what the squirrels in Brixton get up to?

This is the real story

 

[Shechemite]

Generally speaking it’s better if people who are perceived to be unwell enough to have an MH inpatient bed (ie extremely) don’t smoke weed.