"Smokers"

Thank you so much for taking the trouble to write to us. I am sorry to hear that there were people smoking outside of the main entrance. You are correct, the site is a no smoking site. Our staff do when they can remind people of this, so I am sorry that on this occasion this had not happened.

Despite the fact that we have signs in the hospital grounds that no smoking is permitted in the hospital or anywhere within the hospital grounds a large number of smokers choose to ignore this. They are not allowed to sit or stand outside the main entrance, but it is very difficult to prevent people smoking out of doors because we have no legal juristiction over the matter. We ask security guards to request smokers to desist from smoking but this has a very short term effect. I agree with you that it must be very distressing for someone with heart, asthma or breathing problems to walk through cloud of smoke to gain access and egress to the building.