30 July 2004
A ban on smoking in enclosed public places would yield billions of pounds worth of economic benefits, an analysis for chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson has found.
Launching his annual report on July 28, Donaldson said that John Reid maintained 'an open mind' on the idea, despite suggestions that the health secretary opposes a ban.
Donaldson said profits in the hospitality industry had risen in countries where such bans had been imposed, and that no opposing argument remained, except for that on smokers' rights.
'The research shows there would be between £2.3bn and £2.7bn of net benefits every year if we banned smoking in enclosed public places, and that is without taking account of cost savings to the NHS,' he said.
Donaldson also opened a fresh line of attack on the tobacco industry by highlighting evidence that smoking does irreversible harm to the skin. This should be used to counter advertisements, in particular those aimed at young women, that associated smoking with glamour, he said.
His report also called attention to the squandering of donated blood in hospitals that failed to follow best practice. Only consultants should order blood, he said, and financial incentives should be considered to encourage better use of it by hospitals.
The report highlighted a shortage of what Donaldson called 'tomorrow's Nobel Prize winners', younger researchers working as clinical lecturers.
He voiced alarm that the number of clinical academic posts had fallen by 14% between 2000 and 2003, while the number of medical students had risen at double that rate. 'There is no proper career structure for young doctors wanting to pursue a career in clinical academic medicine, and significant barriers and disincentives stand in the way of even the most enthusiastic,' he noted, and called for a 'culture of research and innovation' across the NHS.
Health issues in specific regions were also highlighted by the report. These included a severe shortage of dentists in southern England, high obesity levels among women in the Midlands, and the health effects of high fuel poverty levels in Yorkshire and the Humber.
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