Some 1,000 staff members of Peterborough City Hospital are being taught how to handle obese patients by trying out a so called ‘fat suit’.

With obesity, and obese patients, on the increase (numbers have doubled in past 20 years), the hospital is keen to preserve dignity but also know how best to deal with people.

So the hospital has accepted a £1,000 special suit from a charity in a bid to show staff how best to cope with obese patients.

The 13lb suit should help to reduce the risk of injury by staff who handles obese patients and to “think about patients in a different way”.

Until now the heaviest patient handled by staff at the hospital weighed in at 55 stone although more than 50 dozen patients weighing over 28 stone have been admitted in the past year.