More than 700,000 patients are affected by pressure ulcers in the UK each year, costing the NHS more than £3.8m a day to treat.

The clinical nurse educator, simulation and tissue viability teams from NHS Humber Health Partnership toured wards at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital with the mannequins and the model of a posterior covered with fake pressure ulcers to support training.

Nursing simulation fellow Kirsty Stephenson and administrator Jess Clappison created the ulcers using moulage, the art of applying mock injuries for training exercises, at the Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation in the grounds of Hull Royal Infirmary.

Stephenson said: ‘People learn in different ways and seeing what an ulcer actually looks like rather than a photograph in a textbook can help staff identify exactly what they're looking for in patients.'

Three different categories of pressure ulcers were created, graded on the depth and severity of the tissue damage, which were then affixed to the mannequins and model posterior to take onto the wards.

Stephensen said: ‘I asked staff to identify the different grades before asking them to explain what the next course of action and treatment would be for each different ulcer.

‘The reaction from staff was really great. While some were a bit shocked at first when we arrived on the ward, they liked that the training was interactive and they could actually see and understand the difference between the ulcers while then learning what to do next.'

Angie Oswald, of the tissue viability team, added: ‘Clinical simulation is a fantastic teaching tool and offers clinical staff the chance to learn in a safe environment. Using the mannequins and the moulage helps them familiarise themselves with what they should be looking for if a patient does develop a pressure ulcer and what steps they can take to stop it getting worse.'