Oh, to be in England…

… where even the flowerbeds rebuke us.
Shiny Happy Person,a junior psychiatrist working in the NHS, reports on her blog how, when taking a break in the hospital gardens, she heard a voice from a flowerbed saying, “this is a no smoking area. Please put your cigarette out. A member of staff has been informed”.
Nic Cohen writing in today’s Observer picks up the story and adds:
“… it is on the record that hospitals have banned smoking and some, such as the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust, have put smoke alarms outdoors to catch patients who nip outside for a quick fag.
The makers of a new generation of alarms say their trade doesn’t stop with the NHS. They are doing good business with local authorities, drug rehabilitation centres and government departments. Their Cig-Arrete (geddit?) detector provides ‘a visual and audible re-enforcement of your commitment to creating a smoke-free environment’.”

Isn’t it reassuring to know that our apparatchiks are working so hard to guarantee our well-being.