Smokefree mental health wards & reducing restrictive practices: Where is the common ground?

Smokefree policies and tobacco dependency services aim to reduce health inequalities associated with smoking and mental health. Reducing Restrictive Practice (RRP) interventions in mental health settings aim to enhance patient safety and experience, and reduce incidences of violence and aggression towards staff. There are often tensions when balancing smokefree priorities with adopting least restrictive practices. For example, incidences of violence and aggression towards ward staff have occurred in the course of maintaining smokefree wards raising anxieties from ward teams about their roles in maintaining smokefree environments. In this session, we reflect upon our experiences of working in often complex and challenging environments and the issues faces when balancing the wants and needs of Treating Tobacco Dependency Teams, ward staff and patients.