What steps it has taken in the last three years to ensure that there is no smoking in the grounds of all hospitals other than psychiatric h…

Smoking is prohibited by law only in wholly or substantially enclosed public places. Areas in the open air, such as hospital grounds and car parks, are not covered by this legislation. The Scottish Government issued guidance on smoking policies for the NHS, local authorities, and care providers in December 2005 to support the implementation of the smoking ban.
This encouraged NHS boards and other service providers, to demonstrate leadership in implementing smoking policies and promoting smoke-free lifestyles. It also highlighted the benefits of going further than the strict parameters of the law and working towards completely smoke-free policies to maximise health gain. This was subsequently reinforced in the chief executive letter Health Promoting Health Service: HPHS CEL (01) 2012.
While the decision to move to smoke-free hospital grounds is currently a matter for individual boards to determine the Scottish Government is currently developing a new tobacco control strategy, which we intend to publish early next year, and we will consider smoking within NHS grounds as part of that work.