This article reports on the process of engaging an entire hospital in a pressure ulcer prevention programme using a ‘Rapid Spread’ approach. The Rapid Spread methodology comprises an initial preparatory phase, an immersion phase, an action phase and sustainability. It allowed the gold standard practices to be embedded in a 12-week period and resulted in large reductions in both pressure ulcer incidence and pressure ulcer point prevalence and also reduced the estimated cost of caring for people with hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.