A "major incident training exercise" that took place in Hull on Saturday has been hailed successful.

Called Exercise Orange Falcon, the test run was organised by the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust, alongside crews from the police, fire service and ambulance staff.

The "scenario" created was said to be a "lorry crash with potential chemicals involved".

It saw Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, St John Ambulance Service and Humberside Police all at the scene at the Army Reserve Centre, Londesborough Barracks, in Londesborough Street, Hull.

"Casualties involved also descended on Hull Royal Infirmary to test the hospitals response to a major emergency.

Mock decontamination arrangements then got underway at the hospital following the "crash".

Around 40 casualties were made up with fake wounds as part of the excercise.

Makani Purva, deputy chief medical officer at HEY NHS Trust, said: "What we have seen today is a decontamination exercise.

"We have had an accident where there have been people who have been immersed in a contaminated liquid and from the accident site we capture the journey of the patients and how they were managed by the various agencies who were involved in it.

"We have about ten organisations who were involved in it, taking you right from the incident side all the way into the main hospital."

Mr Purva said it has been a real learning process for those involved.

"They key factor in patient safety is excellent communication so what we have learnt today is that we need to improve even better all our communication skills, not just between individuals and between departments in an organisation but between organisations as well.

"That has been a key underlining message that we have learnt."

Ms Purva said although the exercise was not related to recent tragedies, it is reassuring that it has taken place.

"On the one hand it was mandatory but I think it is very reassuring considering the recent incidents that have happened around the UK and the world that what we are doing today in Hull has put us in a good position to look after not only our patients but also the people who live in this area," she said.

"We were able to free up dozens of beds very quickly, we had enough surgeons with enough nursing staff who could have easily looked after these patients so it demonstrated to you how well we have performed as an organisation in rising to such a challenge."

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Hospital staff 'rise to challenge' in chemical spill exercise at Hull Royal Infirmary - Hull Daily Mail