The nationwide smoking ban due to be introduced in England next spring should be extended to include mental health units, it has been claimed.

A group of doctors publishing their opinion in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) argue that despite the complicated nature of the problems surrounding the smoking ban, mentally ill people and their carers ultimately deserve as much protection as possible.

The group acknowledges that a higher proportion of sufferers of mental illnesses smoke significantly more than the rest of the population does, but suggests that this provides an argument for implementing the ban in healthcare units rather than boosting claims to the opposite.

They also insist that as the Health Act 2006 protects employees in all walks of life from having to work in smoke-filled environments there should be no exception made for carers looking after the mentally ill.

"All mental health settings should introduce complete smoke-free policies," the doctors argue.

"These policies should be introduced in a flexible and pragmatic way, with support and treatment available for patients to stop smoking and manage withdrawal. Exemption from the Health Act will exclude mental health patients from mainstream health improvement strategies and exacerbate the inequality they already experience," they conclude.

The Health Act is due for implementation in England and Wales in summer 2007. Scotland is already operating under a smoking ban, which was introduced on March 26th this year.