SMOKERS lighting up at Musgrove Park Hospital can expect to be told it is not permitted thanks to a new voice system the public can use.

Last Friday, the Taunton hospital launched a stop-smoking voice system at all its major entrances to reinforce the messages to visitors that smoking is not permitted on the site.

The launch follows the hugely successful Smokefree PA system outside the maternity unit, piloted last September.

The PA systems have been strategically placed in smoking hotspots around the hospital, and the areas included are Accident and Emergency, The Beacon Centre, The Duchess Building and The Jubilee Building.

Now, whenever someone is seen smoking on site any member of staff or the public can press the blue ‘no smoking button’, which will play a pre-recorded message created by local schoolchildren over a speaker.

Musgrove Park Hospital’s chief executive, Dr Sam Barrell, said: “It is really important for us as a hospital to promote healthy living to our patients, their carers and their family and friends, and part of that includes having an entirely smoke-free site.

“What we have now is a personalised announcement system available in every entrance, which is incredibly user friendly.

"If you happen to be here and you are walking past and you see someone smoking, please do press the button and hopefully that will encourage others to do the same.”

Lucy Rexworthy, Musgrove Park Hospital’s Smokefree lead, said: “Rolling out the PA systems across the hospital entrances has been another fantastic project to work on.

“The local children and parents who helped us record the messages have been brilliant and deserve tremendous recognition.

“What the Smokefree team believe to be so great about this rollout is that not only can our colleagues activate the system, but patients and visitors can, too. “

We truly hope that incentives like this one will make it easier for the public to engage with our campaign to have an entirely smoke-free hospital site.”

The pre-recorded, personalised Smokefree buttons are accessible to all – colleagues, patients, volunteers and visitors, to help protect themselves and others from the damaging effects of smoking.