Firms urged to help smokers quit habit

LONDON, Apr 25 (Reuters) Employers should give staff who smoke time off to attend clinics to help them quit the deadly habit, the government's public health adviser said today.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) said employers should provide staff with information on local stop-smoking services.

The recommendations are contained in guidance to employers issued by NICE ahead of a full workplace ban on smoking in England from July 1.

Scotland and Wales have already gone smoke free, while Northern Ireland introduces its own smoking ban at the end of this month.

As well as improving health, a reduction in smoking should have a beneficial economic effect, NICE said.

Smoking costs the National Health Service 1.5 billion pounds a year, and costs industry an estimated 5 billion pounds in lost productivity, absenteeism and fire damage.

''Smoking causes an estimated 86,500 deaths in England each year, and is responsible for a wide range of diseases and conditions including cancers, coronary heart disease, impotence and infertility,'' said NICE Chief Executive Andrew Dillon.

NICE public health specialist David Sloan added: ''We know that overall around three out of four smokers want to quit.

''It's important for employees and their representatives to work with employers on what support they need to give up smoking, and to encourage their employers to make that support available,'' he said.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it was recommending its members follow the NICE guidance.

''It will improve the health of staff and the productivity of businesses,'' said the FSB's Mary Boughton.

''It will also ensure that the new smoking laws are not broken.'' REUTERS SBC DS1314