HOSPITALS should stock e-cigarettes for sale to patients as part of efforts to make the NHS truly smokefree.

The calls from Public Health England (PHE) come as a government blueprint makes clear that e-cigarettes have an ‘important part to play in achieving the ambition for a smokefree generation’.

The government’s new Tobacco Control Plan for England includes a commitment to ‘maximise the availability of safer alternatives to smoking’.

A new PHE report recommends:

- e-cigarettes, alongside nicotine replacement therapies are available for sale in hospital shops.

- vaping policies support smokers to quit and stay smokefree smoking shelters be removed

- frontline staff take every opportunity to encourage and support patients to quit

But the plan has sparked a mixed reaction from health chiefs in East Lancashire.

Dr Damian Riley, medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, said its current policy ‘discourages the use of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes on all trust sites.’

He said: “ELHT is working with patients, visitors and staff to gradually make all of its sites smokefree by changing attitudes towards tobacco use.

“ However, we will continually review this position as ongoing research and further evidence emerges.

“All patients who are identified as smokers on admission, are offered support to stop smoking using licensed medical products.

“The Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) used comes in many forms such as patches, mouth spray, inhalator, gum or lozenges.

“Our staff will also offer simple advice or referrals to specialist services based in the hospital and the community.”

Dr Stuart Berry, local GP and respiratory lead for Pennine Lancashire said prescribing e-cigarettes would be an ‘additional’ burden for GPs to prescribe.

He said: “E-cigs are currently considered to be 95 per cent safer than regular cigarettes.

“As a GP and respiratory lead I always ask people who smoke to consider stopping smoking.

“If they don’t feel up to stopping smoking yet then e-cigarettes are safer than continuing with their cigarettes.

“The Cancer Uk website has some really useful facts about e-cigs.

“I recommend people take a look at their site if they would like more info about how safe e-cigs are: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/e-cigarettes

“If e-cigarettes were available on prescription it would medicalise them.

“GPs are already very busy, and it would be an additional burden for GPs to prescribe what can be easily bought from shops.”

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health and wellbeing for Lancashire County Council, said: "Quitting smoking altogether is the best thing one can do to improve their health.

"If you smoke and are struggling to quit, switching to e-cigarettes can be useful in reducing tobacco related harm.

"Our Quit Squad provides advice and support for people wanting to quit, including people who want to use e-cigarettes to do this."

But professor John Newton, director for health improvement at PHE said: “Our new review reinforces the finding that vaping is a fraction of the risk of smoking, at least 95 per cent less harmful, and of negligible risk to bystanders.

“Yet over half of smokers either falsely believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking or just don’t know.

"It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about their safety.”