I smoke in the Flat and My support workers are talking about turning it into a smoke free flat. But I rent it off the council it’s my flat my name is on the tenancy. Can my support staff zoo me or get me fined. I’ve a minor learning disabiltie. but I get housing benfit and income support and disabltie allownce. So my rent gets payed. there just there to Support me.
If you cannot smoke in your own home
What the hell is this world coming to?
If they dont like it
Then you may well have to get some new support workers.
I smoke and On the 1st July 2007 the smokeing ban comes out. Can my Support Workers Stop me?
23 Responses
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December 28th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
If you cannot smoke in your own home
What the hell is this world coming to?
If they dont like it
Then you may well have to get some new support workers.
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December 28th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Your support workers have a right to work in a smoke free enviroment. your flat is their place of work, so if you want to continue smoking in your flat then you may have to give up the support provided by them.
or reach a compromise that you won’t smoke when they are in the flat
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December 28th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
your house your choice to smoke, but they can refuse to come and help you , try and get a support worker that smokes, what i do not understand though is if it is your flat why are you letting some support worker dictate to you what you can and cannot do in your own home, i am a support worker and i would never dream of doing that. they sound a bit up their own butt to me, get new ones.
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December 28th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
"You” are a part of "Our Environment" ! think a bit- stop smoking.
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December 28th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
would not be better for you and everyone concerned if you just quit smoking? if you life is not worth the effort of quit smoking then consider the effect you have on the other people in your Flat.
i am a nurse…and when a resident is a smoker…there is only one facility in our city that allows smoking…and they are relocating to a non smoking building..also hospitals are not allowing smoking …so is it worth all this aggravation as you will have to quit sooner or later. but the choice is still yours..i smoked for twenty years and i thought i could not quit..but i did through a new wife who asked me to quit..if it was up to me i would probably still be smoking but that was twenty one years ago..yes, there is life without tobacco…good luck in whatever you do…we need your cigarette tax money too…lol
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December 28th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Sounds like Big Brother has over-extended itself in the UK?? I assume that’s where you reside? That should be one place a smoker can have at least a refuge or a place to puff their lives away. Stand up for your rights before the changes take place. Get a petition going among fellow smokers and submit it to your support workers or go and voice your opinion. I’m a non-smoking American, but you should have certain rights–at least go down with a fight.
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December 28th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
your life, your lungs. you should be able to smoke in your own place without the government and nonsmokers sticking their nose in your business. you should sue them for giving you mental stress and harassment. more smokers should fight the government. for goodness sake, these idiots who don’t smoke breathe in more pollution from car exhaust and factories than from our little tiny cigarette.
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December 28th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
No, they cannot stop you.
I used to be a support worker for adults with learning disabilities for 4 years. i worked for Mencap.
and it was one of their rules that you respect that its the persons home you support and therefore they can do what ever they want. It is your place,and as long as there are risk assesments in place for you to smoke in your home then they cannot do anything about it!
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WTF, the thumbs down police are out in force again.
December 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Charles, listen… what I’m about to suggest might work… consider quitting smoking… I mean between now and July is a good amount of time… professional help, special medications etc… I’m not sure how much smoking cost these days but you’ll save a pile of money… clear the air and make your life more healthy… and have a smoke free life…why with all the extra money you’ll have you be able to spend it on a girl friend, or two !!! (just a thought)…
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December 28th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
If You give up smoking think of all the whisky and beer you’ll be able to buy
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December 28th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
no,they cant stop you.its your flat.they are free to leave whenever they want.
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December 28th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
They can’t stop you smoking in your own home but they can refuse to visit if you continue to smoke in it. Decide if you would rather continue to smoke or continue to have support. The answer my friend is yours to decide.
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December 28th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
If it bothers them, they have every right to refuse to come into your flat. If you only have a minor learning disability, then do you really need them?
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December 28th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
You should be able to do pretty much what you like in your own flat, (within reason) and if you chose to smoke then thats your right. Your support worker should also be able to refuse to attend your home if he/she feels that your smoking is detrimental to her health.
You have the right to chose to damage your own health but not the right to damage the health of others. Hope things work out ok.
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December 28th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
i think you misunderstood the law. Your home, council flat or not, is yours to do what you wish to do in. However, when your support worker comes to visit, you may not be allowed to smoke, because the law is there to protect people from smoke in their working environment (for a short time, then, your home can be considered a support worker’s workplace too). But surely you can go a few minutes without a cigarette? Nothing to worry about then!
PS Yahoo censored me when I tried to write F-A-G instead of cigarette! what is the world coming to!?
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December 28th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
charles, there are two things here, and they are both yours. the first is your free agency to choose what you need, or choose what you want.what you want is to feed your habbit that will keep your spirit weak, and hasten your death. what you need is to strengthen your spirit and your health and not smoke.as regards being forced not to smoke by your supporters is not justified, because our government are using nazi strategies, to invade peoples homes with their domineering tatics. though it appears they have your well being at heart, they dont. because they still allow the cigarett factories to remain open. if cigaretts are so bad why are they feeding them to us. the gov conscerne is fake, they use it as an cover to bully the nation, and to infiltrate the privicy of the home.personaly anybody who tries this should be perfect they should not smoke, not drink alcohol, or take caffiene lke tea or coffee, if they do then they are also taking poison, and should not be bullying you not to take yours, but you should if you can jack the cigs in because you want to.that would be freedom of desition.
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December 28th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
The Health and Safety at work Act covers all public spaces and workplaces with a few exceptions which are private homes, residential homes, hotel rooms and prisons. So I would say that your carers cannot force you into making your home a smoke free zone and just because you have a minor LD does not give them the right to ride rough shot over you it is at the end of the day your home and your choice to smoke. In saying that if you could discuss the issue with your social worker perhaps he/she could organise carers that are willing to still come into your home whilst you smoke or come up with another reasonable plan.
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December 28th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
They CAN ASK you not to smoke whilst they are in your house/flat. All NHS patients are set to be banned from smoking in their own homes under a new health crackdown.
They will be refused treatment if they light up during a visit from a nurse or care worker.
Health chiefs have imposed the rule to protect staff from second-hand smoke. They also plan to ban health workers from smoking in cars on their way to a visit.
Homeowners will be perfectly entitled to tell health chiefs to get lost. BUT………………..From January 1 patients will face sanctions if they refuse an order by a medic entering their home to stop smoking.
They can be made to go to another venue for treatment or agree another form of care.
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December 28th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
In Scotland if you have say a doctor coming round to your house to see you then by law you are not supposed to smoke a certain time before they come. I think it is 90 minutes
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December 28th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I live in the USA now but I’ve been watching the debate as closely as I can. Your home is not a "regular" place of work. It is a home first and foremost. So my first question is what has the government done to help smokers in your situation quit? I mean apart from adverts saying you should quit and there is help at hand, just ring the toll-free number on your screen right now! In other words have they actually funded smoking cessation programs?
Mind you, the poster who observed that it is a decent length of time until July has a point. My wife quit over a year ago, cold turkey, on New Years Day. The cost of the gum was less than the cost of the cigarettes and she stopped taking the gum in the May, so it took her a little over four months to wean herself off and now we have extra money to do nice things with. For us, that is going to a really smart restaurant once a month. think what you could do with that money. Would it be enough to hire private help so you didn’t have to rely on support workers who are, from what you say, not supporting you in a difficult endeavour?
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December 28th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I am amazed they haven’t already many local authority’s started this policy a couple of years ago before the official ban and they could withdraw your help.As it is your own home I doubt they would be able to fine you but will definitely withdraw your services as they owe a duty of care to their staff as well as you.They cant stop you smoking in your home but can whilst they are there.
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December 28th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Why do you Europens let your governments railroad you? Do you not believe in personal liberties? I mean, when a person is afraid to smoke in their own home, it is time to stand up for yourselves. You pittiful people are subjects to socialist regimes. You are ruled, treated not as human beings with the ability to reason, but as children that need to be constanlty punished and told what they can and cannot do.
Americans, take that as a lesson. First their governments took their guns away, now they do not even have the right to smoke in their own homes. Fear the government that does not trust its people. Fear the socialists. Fear the liberals or we all shall one day see this fate.
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December 28th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
they dont have to enter your flat if the air is deemed hazardous to their health council workers in scotland have this protection you must not smoke two hours before they arrive and not at all when they are in the house your disability does not come into it
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