HEALTH chiefs want to stub out the problem of people smoking outside the main entrances of the Queen Alexandra Hospital.
There are two smoking shelters on the Cosham hospital site, but scores of patients and visitors ignore this and continue smoking in supposedly smoke-free zones.
Now bosses hope to tackle the problem by getting the community involved in designing hard-hitting posters.
Peter Mellor is company secretary of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs QA, and also sits on the smoking committee.
He said: ‘Our campaign is not about trying to force people to give up smoking, but to try and persuade those who choose to smoke outside at Queen Alexandra Hospital to think about the effect that their smoking might have on others. In other words please don’t light up your cigarette right by the doors to the hospital and affect others with your smoke but move to one of the two smoking shelters provided – think about others. Please help us by designing a poster that alerts a smoker to the effect it might have on others. This includes newborn babies, pregnant women and people with breathing problems.
‘We respect the rights of people who choose to smoke to do so, but please can they do so without affecting others.’
The competition is open for all ages. To enter, send your poster, along with the completed voucher printed below, to: QA Poster Competition, The News, The News Centre, Hilsea, Portsmouth, PO2 9SX. The winning design will be made into a poster and will also win £100. Second prize wins £75, while third prize is £50. The closing date for the competition is February 28. Normal News competition rules apply.
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