Hospital staff have been trying on fat suits that make them feel as though they weigh 40 stone so they may be better equipped to deal with obese patients.
Around 1,000 members of staff at Peterborough City Hospital in Cambridgeshire tried on the suit which cost £1,000.
Though it weighs less than a stone, it restricts the movement of the person wearing it to simulate obesity.
Staff members at Peterborough City Hospital have tried on fat suits in an effort to learn how best to treat obese patients
The method of training comes months after health experts warned doctors to be 'respectful' and 'unblaming' towards obese patients.
The suit gives those who wear it the proportions of someone much larger however, significantly restricting their movement.
Anna Rushby, 51, a core skills trainer at Peterborough City Hospital who has worn the suit, said: 'The suit gets very hot so we only wear it for short periods of time.
'When you are wearing it you can understand how a heavier patient must feel. In the sessions I will wear the suit and the staff will practice getting me in and out of bed.
'The aim is to increase the mobility of patients who are heavier. We don't want them having to stay in bed all the time.
'We treat the heavier patients like every other patient. This training helps us understand their needs better in order to make them feel more comfortable.
'We have a very good record of injuries to staff and patients. We have had no incidents recently as far as I know.
'But this training ensures staff are helping heavier patients in the correct way both for their safety and that of the staff.
'The training is going really well - we have had a good reaction from staff.'
Rolf Stobbart, the hospital's moving and handling trainer said staff were 'thinking about patients in a different way.'
Core skills trainer Anna Rushby tries out the fat suit which is playing a key role in the hospital's new methods of training
Staff will also lie down and use bed hoists in the suit to experience obesity. One participant said they found it difficult to breath while lying flat
'Having the staff prepared with the knowledge of dealing with the bariatric patient, it’s (about) techniques we already use but in a different format.
The training sessions will also give staff experience of using bed hoists hoists as well as other equipment for larger patients.
One participant in the sessions said: 'I found it quite uncomfortable to be completely flat on my back.
'It restricts my airwaves, and I find it difficult to breath.'
Conservative MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson branded the suit a 'useless gimmick'.
He said: 'It seems a ludicrous waste of money and a bit patronising. As if staff do not know how to look after obese patients.
'I think it is a waste of money. People do not donate to laudable charities like the Friends of Peterborough Hospital for useless gimmicks.
'They do it for equipment or serious issues.What next - are they going to have a Sumo competition so they can understand what a group of fat people are like?
'It seems like someone had an idea that is not very intelligent.'
The number of patients at the hospital weighing more than 28 stone has risen from six to 52 since 2010, with the heaviest weighing in at 55 stone.
While staff have responded well to the training, Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson branded the exercise a 'waste of money' and a 'useless gimmick'
The number of patients at the hospital weighing more than 28 stone has risen from six to 52 since 2010, with the heaviest weighing in at 55 stone
Training at Peterborough City Hospital (pictured) also includes teaching staff members how to use bed hoists
THE 22 STONE SCHOOLGIRL: AN ALARMING EXAMPLE OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY EPIDEMIC IN BRITAIN
A 10-year-old schoolgirl weighing 22stone is the most recent and shocking reminder of the country's worsening obesity epidemic.
The unidentified child tops a list of children at the same school who all weigh more than 16 stone despite being younger than 11.
Over 40 per cent of children were considered overweight this year, with some youngsters, in extreme cases, being taken away from parents who indulge their poor diets.
Obesity among children cost the NHS £4.2billion last year.
According to 2012 figures, more than 1million people in Britain were classified as morbidly obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 40 and 50.
An additional 100,000 people had a BMI of over 50, the equivalent of a 5ft 3in woman weighing 21 stone.
Over a quarter of adults in England are obese while 41 per cent of men and 33 per cent of woman are classed as overweight.
The £1,000 suit has been bought from the American branch of Sunflower Medical with money donated by the Friends of Peterborough Hospital.
Chief nurse Chris Wilkinson said: 'We are very pleased that this generous donation has allowed us to enhance our patient experience.
'We know of only one other hospital in the UK to have a bariatric suit and we have already received positive feedback commenting on the quality of care received following this training.'
Britain's childhood obesity epidemic has seen hospitals deal with nearly 1,000 children in the past three years and is now thought to cost the NHS around £4.2billion every year.
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