Hospital sparks outrage by erecting a SIXTH smoking area – and ignoring pleas by health watchdog for the shelters to be banned 

Royal Stoke University Hospital has been criticised for erecting a sixth smoking area for staff

A hospital has been heavily criticised after installing a sixth smoking area for staff.

Bosses at the Royal Stoke University Hospital have ignored pleas from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the shelters to be banned.

Instead, an extra shelter has been installed in addition to the five current smoking areas to cater for 12,000 employees following the £400 million hospital's recent expansion.

The initial smoking areas - for patients and visitors - were put up outside a main entrance, outside the Trent/Upper Lyme clinical building and the hospital's Accident and Emergency department. 

The hospital previously came under fire in 2013 for erecting the smoking shelters, infuriating victims of the disease and anti-smoking charities.

It already has two smoking 'tolerance' zones for staff outside a nearby medical school and a service yard.

Now, it has erected another area for staff, following complaints about doctors and nurses lighting up on the roads outside the site.

Pictures show the new shelter - which was installed outside an office building without consultation - littered with cigars and cigarette butts on the floor.

Cancer sufferer John Hamilton, 77, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, said: 'I find it really insensitive.

'They should not spend money accommodating and encouraging this disgusting habit and even when they do, the floor is still littered with fag ends.

'They are almost encouraging people to smoke. It is a disgrace.'

NICE has twice called for hospitals in England to scrap smoking areas for staff and the public within their grounds.

In the latest guidance, NICE official Professor Mike Kelly said: 'We need to end the terrible spectacle of people on drips in hospital gowns smoking outside hospital entrances.'

Anti-smoking charity Ash also condemned the new move and called on health bosses to reverse their decision.

Amanda Sandford, the charity's information manager, said: 'This decision is very disappointing and contradicts NICE guidance.

'We urge the hospital to rethink this policy and provide practical support to smoking staff to help them quit.'

The hospital erected the shelter following a merger with Stafford County Hospital. 

Health campaigner Ian Syme, from pressure group North Staffordshire Healthwatch, added: 'The trust is flagrantly disregarding NICE standards and could now face the consequences.

'To increase these zones for a few hundred extra staff from Stafford's County Hospital suggests the newcomers must all be chain smokers.'

Royal Stoke University Hospital (pictured) says adding another smoking area for staff is 'a pragmatic step taken in response to people continually smoking on site while they work towards being smoke-free'

The new shelter - which was installed outside an office building without consultation - is littered with cigars and cigarette butts on the floor, critics claim

A spokesman for the hospital said: 'Our smoking control policy currently describes two designated smoking areas for staff on the edge of the Royal Stoke Hospital site, along with three on-site smoking shelters for patients and their families.

'This needs to be updated to include another enclosed smoking areas for staff.

'Since the policy was originally written there has been a significant increase in staff on the Royal Stoke site due to the integration with Stafford Hospital. 

'While the trust wishes to be "smoke free", a degree of pragmatism has been adopted as a result of continued issues associated with people smoking on site.

'Therefore the Trust has developed smoke-free principles which ensure restrictions on smoking and designated smoking areas.

'It is a challenge for many NHS hospital trusts to introduce a completely smoke free site, however, we continue to work to do so over time.'

The latest decision has also been criticised by campaigners, union leaders and other community groups who have accused the hospital of encouraging the habit.

Unison boss Rob Irving said he had asked for a meeting with hospital bosses after health regulators called for smoke-free sites across the NHS.

He added: 'These new zones have come out of the blue and are not included in the smoking policy unless it has been re-written without consultation.

'Just a few weeks ago I asked for the smoking control group to be reconvened in light of new evidence from NICE to renegotiate the policy.

'I was told by the trust that would not be happening and the current policy would stay.

'Now we are told the policy has been amended without our knowledge. It makes little sense.

'I shall be expecting answers at our next meeting with senior management.'