Sniffer dogs are being introduced to a mental health trust as part of anti-drug measures after items used to smoke cannabis were found at a hospital.

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) says it is clamping down on illegal drug use on its wards.

As part of this, sniffer dogs will be used in random inspections to make sure no patients or staff are using substances on the wards of St. Ann’s Hospital, where they are based.

On the first inspection, they found “a quantity of drugs paraphernalia”.

BEH said that while they won’t be keeping dogs at the trust full time, they would be brought in on “an ad hoc basis”.

Andy Graham, BEH executive director of patient services said, "Mental health problems can be severely exacerbated by using illicit drugs.  We want to give our patients the very best opportunity to recover when they are with us and that means taking a zero tolerance approach to drug misuse, or dealing, on our hospital sites."

The first inspection was carried out last week by Moss, a black labrador, who can detect a wide range of drugs, including cocaine, heroin and legal highs.

His handler Simon said, "Moss can search passively as well as proactively depending on the environment and clinical presentation of the patients. 

“During the search of St Ann's we found that illegal drugs had been used and a quantity of drugs paraphernalia were confiscated, including three empty drugs bags outside patients’ windows and a detachable pipe, which had been used recently to smoke cannabis."

Theo Bello, assistant clinical director for adult inpatient service at St Ann’s said, "Anyone found using illegal drugs will be given access to treatments and expertise to help them kick the habit.  

“Illegal substances can produce side effects that can actually limit the ability of the individual to engage in therapeutic activities.

“Frequent use can cause permanent damage. Side effects such as paranoia, anxiety, schizophrenic and psychotic behaviour, hostile and aggressive behaviour and confusion can limit engagement with therapy.

"There is a clear link between illicit drugs and psychosis and the use of illegal drugs affects someone's mental state adversely.  We are here to care for people, and turning a blind eye to drugs isn't the right thing to do.”

The Metropolitan Police has given its support to the BEH crackdown and are also providing training to staff on search techniques for both people and wards.