Hospital emergency teams sprang into action today as part of their training for a major chemical spill in the city.
Porters, staff from the Emergency Department and security teams worked together to ensure five casualties received the best possible care after the mock accident.
Operation Hoddle was set up by Hull University Teaching Hospitals (HUTH) to test staff’s response to a chemical or hazardous waste accident.
David Roney, Head of Emergency Planning, said: “The exercise is about testing our response to any chemical or hazardous waste incident. It’s particularly relevant to us because we have so many refineries and factories within the area.
“We have to train and practice for the time when we might have to use that equipment for real.”
A decontamination tent was set up at the side of Hull Royal infirmary’s Emergency Department so staff from the hospital’s Emergency Department, dressed in powered respirator protective suits (PRPS) were able to treat their injuries in the safest possible environment.
Security Investigations Officer David Liddle, Clinical Administrator Cameron Walker, who works in Suite 36, James Garnett, a clinical administrator in the Department of Medical Elderly, Donna Major, manager of the Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation (HILS), and Emily Clappison, an Administrator in Clinical Skills, all volunteered to act as casualties.
The 90-minute exercise was filmed by the trust’s Clinical Skills Department and will be used to train ED nursing staff and be included in HEY247 to help train other staff who may be involved in a real-life accident.