Smokers face surgery quit demand

Patients in part of Leicestershire will be asked to give up smoking before they go in for an operation.

Leicestershire City NHS Primary Care Trust said quitting a month before surgery will mean improved recovery times and a fewer complications.

Managers insisted this would not mean a ban on smokers and the final decision to operate would rest with clinicians.

The policy, which would not cover emergency cases, will go out for consultation until later in the year.

Improving health

Routine, elective surgery, such as hip replacements and hysterectomies, would be covered if the rule gets the final go ahead.

A spokesman for the trust said: "It is acknowledged that those who do not smoke require fewer bed days after surgery and suffer fewer lung and heart problems.

"Any moves in this direction would be made with the intention of improving the health of patients coming in for treatment."

Hospitals in Leicester introduced a smoking ban on all property and grounds in July 2006