The smoking ban will apply to all staff and visitors.

Executive director of community and continuing care Jan Child said there would be "limited and carefully monitored exemptions" for some patients, including mental health patients and aged-care residents.

Smoking shelters will be removed from all Peninsula Health centres and smoking will not be permitted on sites, in buildings or in cars belonging to the health service. This includes Frankston and Rosebud hospitals and all rehabilitation, aged-care and community health sites.

The decision follows a successful trial at the Hastings Community Health service in High Street.

"Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia," Ms Child said.

"This change may be difficult for some staff, as well as for patients, clients and visitors who smoke. Helping smokers who want to quit is an important part of the implementation strategy."

Stop-smoking programs would be run and nicotine replacement therapies would be available for staff, volunteers and patients who wanted to quit smoking.

"We will carefully and sensitively manage the challenges we face in implementing this new policy," Ms Child said. "Our success will in large part rely on the goodwill of patients, visitors and staff as we move forward in our commitment to building a healthy community."