I’VE recently been attending Southampton General Hospital on a regular basis to visit a friend and I am dismayed at the number of people smoking within the hospital grounds.

What is more disturbing is the number of hospital staff including uniformed nurses who are smoking.

I don’t know what the policy is with staff smoking on duty but come on, what are the NHS doing to allow this? What do we hear all the time, the NHS is stretched to breaking point, and what is one of the biggest causes of illness which requires hospital treatment? Smoking.

It is bad enough to see patients smoking when they are receiving treatment but the very people who should be setting an example joining them in slow suicide is frankly disgusting.

I know this will fall on the deaf ears of people who are more worried about the human rights of someone’s choice to enjoy a lifestyle that will kill them early rather than trying harder to do what’s right, but I had to get it off my chest.

At least it’s only that I need to get off my chest, not green, nicotine and tar-infused phlegm.

Lee Mason

Southampton