By Marjory Inglis, health reporter

NHS Tayside’s “smoking clipe” is to have a roving role, chasing nicotine addicts puffing on acute hospital sites across Tayside.

Applicants for the post will be interviewed later this month and the successful candidate is expected to start work in July.

The person will be responsible for tracking down those flouting the ban on smoking in hospital grounds.

That one person will have the job of covering Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, Perth Royal Infirmary and Stracathro Hospital by Brechin.

NHS Tayside advertised last month for applications to a new post of “smoking policy liaison officer,” with an annual salary of up to £15,000.

However, even before applications were in the mail, the post was already being dubbed “the smoking clipe” by NHS Tayside staff.

National legislation bans smoking in enclosed public places, but NHS Tayside went further with its smoking policy and banned smoking anywhere on health authority sites, including the grounds of hospitals and even in private cars parked there.

Staff who smoke feel discriminated against by what they see as excessive limitations on their habit.

They have been told they will face disciplinary action if they persistently defy the NHS Tayside ban.

They believe the officer is being employed to spy on them and report flouters to management as NHS Tayside has no legal authority to insist visitors to hospitals should not smoke in the grounds.

But Lesley Marley, an NHS Tayside public health manager largely responsible for developing and promoting the new post, insisted the person would approach everyone caught smoking, whether staff or visitors.

“The job is to implement smoking policy with all users of acute sites,” said Mrs Marley.

She explained that the post would be managed by portering services at Ninewells Hospital, where the bulk of the work was expected to be, but that the post would cover Stracathro and PRI.

The successful candidate would work a rota over seven days. Actual working periods would be at times when there were lots of people around the sites.

“We want to hit the busier times when we have lots of visitors,” said Mrs Marley. “There is no point of (the smoking clipe) being there on a Sunday at 9am.”

The post is for a one-year fixed term as it is a pilot project.

“We are hoping it really helps embed the smoking policy and encourage cessation attempts,” said Mrs Marley.