Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has received its second installment of £250,000 from the HELP Appeal to fund its state-of-the-art new helipad ahead of work starting on site this September.
The HELP Appeal, the only charity in the UK to fund vital infrastructure for hospital helipads, has now donated half of the cost of this new 24-hour primary helicopter landing site - serving the trust’s one million patients from across the North West.
The first of its kind in central Manchester; the new helipad will serve a number of hospital’s including the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary, and St Mary’s Hospital, which are all based on the trust’s central Manchester site.
Located on the roof of the multi-storey car park on Grafton Street; the new helipad will be connected to the hospitals by a high-level link bridge and rooftop corridor.
Work is now underway on the new facility, with the site expected to be fully operational by Spring next year.
Sarah Naismith, head of cfharities at CMFT, said: “It is this generous funding from the HELP Appeal that will provide patients with life-saving access to our specialist hospitals and trauma teams.
“The helipad will serve all three of our centrally-based hospitals and will ensure patients in critical need receive the emergency and specialist treatment required.
“Without donations like this we would not be able to implement and begin work on a project like this so quickly.”
Golden hour
The first 60 minutes following a major trauma injury are vital.
Known as the ‘Golden Hour’, if a trauma patient receives medical attention in these 60 minutes their chances of survival increase significantly.
Helicopter helipads reduce transfer time and ensure critical patients receive the immediate and specialist medical attention they need.
