Words by Smiley Team
The HELP Appeal, which improves helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) by funding the construction of new or upgraded hospital and air ambulance helipads, has announced there have been 15,500 landings on the NHS hospital helipads it has funded across the country.
Since the charity’s creation in 2009, it has donated £20 million towards 39 new or upgraded helipads, of which 32 have been NHS hospital helipads – including 17 based at Major Trauma Centres – and six air ambulance helipads. So far, the cost of planned helipad projects equates to £50.75 million.
This year alone, despite the pandemic, new helipads funded by the charity opened at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary and Hereford County Hospital.New helipads at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton; Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Airedale General Hospital, Keighley; Campbeltown Hospital, Worcester Hospital, Luton & Dunstable Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital are planned to open within the next year or two.
The charity is also currently funding improvements to existing helipads at University Hospital Coventry; University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock; Carlise Hospital, and Peterborough City Hospital, which will open later this year.
The HELP Appeal expanded into Scotland in 2015, to fund nine hospital helipads including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and Raigmore Hospital, Inverness with another three in the pipeline. It also provided £200,000 over a four-year period to the Scottish Air Ambulance Service to fund replacement secondary landing sites throughout Scotland.
The charity pioneered the introduction and funding of Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System (DIFFS) on five rooftop helipads across the country including King’s College Hospital and St George’s hospital, with three more planned, which save each NHS hospital around £250,000 every year in firefighting costs
There are a variety of ways to support the vital work of the HELP Appeal including through donation, fundraising and taking part in the charity's challenges and events. You can find otu more at https://helpappeal.org.uk/support-us/
