Do it somewhere else – that’s the message from Portsmouth’s health boss to those who smoke at the main entrances of our hospital.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, the city’s director of public health, says people need to stop being selfish by lighting up outside our hospital.

He said: ‘My message to those who smoke and visit the hospital is to stop being selfish and setting a bad example to our children.

‘Please stop forcing everyone else to look at or walk through your smoke. Instead, walk a reasonable distance to the smoking shelters that are provided outside the main entrance. A hospital should be seen as a clean, hygienic, peaceful place of healing.’

Dr Edmund Neville, a respiratory consultant at QA, says up to five per cent of lung cancer cases are from people who are not smokers, usually because they have been exposed to second-hand smoking. ‘Even small amounts of exposure can cause people to have breathing problems or aggravate existing conditions,’ says DR Neville.

For that reason, Dr Neville is backing the drive from QA Hospital and local newspaper The News, to stop people smoking outside the main entrances of QA Hospital.

The hospital and The News have launched a poster competition which is aimed at encouraging people to move away and stop smoking outside the entrance. The competition is open to all ages and closes on February 28.