Hospital helipad upgrade

Hospital helipad upgrade will save vital time on emergency airlifts

8 June 2016

► Improvements required for air ambulance helipad

The emergency helicopter landing pad at Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway has had a state-of-the-art upgrade thanks to a major donation from the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding the construction of hospital helipads.

The Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads (HELP) Appeal paid for the £40,000 works which are now complete.

NHS Western Isles received the surprise cash injection from the HELP Appeal after the charity’s chief executive Robert Bertram read a media report about the current state of the hospital’s helipad.

The requirement for a hard standing to replace the grass pad was first highlighted by Hebrides News as part of its coverage of test landings of new helicopters air ambulances last summer. The story was later picked up by mainland news outlets and spotted by bosses at the HELP Appeal who gave the money to the isles' health board.

At the time, Gordon Jamieson, health board chief executive, told Hebrides News they would raise the issue with the Scottish Ambulance Service – only to get the out-of-the-blue approach from the HELP Appeal.

Now, the grass surface has been replaced with reinforced concrete paving and the lighting upgraded too.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said: “We had no hesitation in donating £40,000 to cover the entire cost of Western Isles Hospital's helipad upgrade.

“Following our pledges of £700,000 to both Glasgow and Edinburgh's hospital helipads, the Western Isles are the furthest north we've ever been and we hope the upgrade will make a huge difference for seriously ill patients and trauma patients needing treatment at Stornoway Hospital.

“Faced with extreme weather conditions on a regular basis, never was a hospital helipad so deserving of an upgrade. Our donation has helped to ensure a secure and solid landing area for all air ambulances and the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter that will withstand any future storms all the way through to Wendy and beyond.”

"We have people supporting us all over the country, including Scotland, so it's important to help save lives wherever there is a need.

“Western Isles Hospital helipad needed an upgrade urgently. The poor state of the air ambulance landing area meant that vital time was being lost in rushing critically ill patients to mainland hospitals."

NHS Western Isles Chief Executive Gordon Jamieson recalled: “The charity funded the complete works associated with bringing the helipad up to the right standard.

“I can only thank them most sincerely for their kindness, for making themselves known to us and then funding the work in its entirety.

“They had a no-nonsense, straightforward approach. They were very quick to make decisions, very prompt in their responses and very positive. All round, I found it a very positive and somewhat humbling experience and one for which I will always remain grateful.”

The need for a reinforced concrete landing pad was discovered during this test landing in July 2015

The aircraft's stretchers have automatic drop-down wheels which dug into the grass, potentially causing vital time to be lost during emergency transfers.