Hospitals, clinics and GPs' surgeries are preparing themselves to become completely smoke free.

The blanket ban on lighting up in NHS buildings and grounds forms part of Government preparations for a total ban on smoking in public places next summer.

The NHS in Sussex has been preparing for the changeover by putting up signs, distributing leaflets and raising awareness about courses that can help people to give up.

Giant cigarettes have been installed in the foyer of Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards warning people about the changes to come, while work has started on removing outside smoking shelters.

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs both hospitals, is introducing its total ban on New Year's Day.

Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust is ahead of the game after bringing in a ban in 2004.

Signs were put up around buildings and grounds. Staff, patients and visitors were told about the changes.

The hospital also removed its shelters and indoor smoking rooms.

However, it has suffered teething problems with people continuing to break the ban while dedicated smokers gather in nearby Homefield Park instead.

The trust has installed heatactivated sensors at the entrances to Worthing Hospital and Southlands Hospital in Shoreham which trigger an automatic request for people who are smoking to move away from the doors.

Hospitals and NHS surgeries across West Sussex are also adopting the new county-wide policy from January 1.

Under the new guidelines, it will not just be hospital buildings that will be smoke-free but also the grounds, including car parks.

Merely standing outside the front door will no longer be an option.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust's stop smoking adviser Amanda Colbourne said: "It does send out a bad message when you see people smoking around a hospital entrance so we have been trying to discourage that.

"However, we don't want to give the impression that we are the stop smoking police.

"We want to offer people as many opportunities as possible to give up by offering the support to help them when they decide to quit and making them aware of the dangers caused by smoking.

"We run clinics to help staff and we also offer a service to patients in hospital to help them give up for good.

"Courses are also being run around the county to help people give up."

East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust's stop smoking specialist Kate Cooper said there were several stop smoking sessions being run in her area.

She said: "We'll be there to help anyone who wants to free themselves of their dependency on tobacco. We know how hard it is to stop smoking. If people have the will to stop, then we've got ways to help them."

Details of East Sussex Downs and Weald's free stop smoking services can be found by calling 0800 9178896. The number for West Sussex is 01903 708000.