SMOKING will no longer be permitted within hospital grounds from Wednesday, May 31.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital, will be entirely smoke-free from then on.

Smoking has not been permitted inside any public buildings since 2007 but will no longer be permitted anywhere within the hospital grounds, either inside or outside the buildings.

Designated smoking shelters are being removed and anyone wishing to smoke will need to leave the premises.

Gail Naylor, nursing and midwifery director, said: “Smoking is the single biggest preventable cause of ill health and premature death in the UK, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect patients, visitors and staff from the harm caused by smoking, and exposure to secondary smoke.

“As an NHS organisation, we want to give a simple and unambiguous message that smoking is harmful to health.

“Smoking is an addiction, and we recognise that many people find it difficult to stop smoking, or do not want to quit.

“We’ll be asking every patient about their smoking status when they come to our hospitals for treatment, so we can provide advice and support, including nicotine replacement therapy, to help them stop smoking temporarily whilst in our care."