UHNM receives HELP Appeal donation to enhance helipad safety
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has received more than £800,000 from the HELP Appeal to support planned safety improvements to the helicopter landing site at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
The £814K contribution will help fund works identified through the Trust’s helipad upgrade programme, which is focused on enhancing safety and operational arrangements for patients, air ambulance crews and staff.
The Royal Stoke helipad plays a vital role in the rapid transfer of critically ill and injured patients around the clock, enabling specialist care to be accessed as quickly as possible when every minute counts.
It receives patients from Midlands Air Ambulance, Wales Air Ambulance, North West Air Ambulance, Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, East Midlands Air Ambulance, The Air Ambulance and Children’s Air Ambulance.
The generous donation from the HELP Appeal, the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads, will contribute towards improvements designed to further strengthen the safety and effectiveness of the site.
Lorraine Whitehead, UHNM Director of Estates, and PFI said: "We are incredibly grateful to the HELP Appeal for this generous donation and their continued commitment to supporting NHS hospitals across the country.
"Our helipad is a vital part of providing emergency and specialist care, enabling patients to reach the treatments they need as quickly as possible. These improvements will help enhance safety for patients, visiting air ambulance crews and our staff, ensuring we can continue to provide the best possible care in the most critical circumstances.
"On behalf of everyone at UHNM, I would like to thank the HELP Appeal for their support and for helping us invest in the future of this important facility."
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal added: “The HELP Appeal is proud to fund these vital improvements to the Royal Stoke Hospital helipad. The barriers, warning systems and improved lighting will enable the helipad to continue operating safely and efficiently, ensuring critically ill patients can access the urgent care they need without delay.”
One such patient to benefit from the helipad was Sue Gould from Ipstones, who was seriously injured after being accidently run over by a six tonne tractor on her farm this year. She was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Stoke for specialised treatment.
Sue said: “When I was airlifted to Royal Stoke Hospital, every second mattered so knowing that these new safety measures will help keep the area clear and secure when an air ambulance is landing or taking off is very reassuring. The upgrade will help patients just like me, to reach the hospital as safely and quickly as possible.”
In 2019, the HELP Appeal donated £51,000 to fund a weather station on the hospital helipad, the first in the country to have one, which provides certainty and real time information for emergency helicopter pilots about weather conditions, ensuring that its patients are seen quicker and with more efficiency.
The weather station, called “Skyview”, measures visibility and conditions around the Royal Stoke University Hospital site and helps ambulance crews understand the next steps for our critically injured patients, making sure they are air lifted to the most appropriate trauma centre avoiding bad weather conditions that can make flying difficult.