New Helipad for Manchester hospitals will help save lives

• Video report by Lucille Brobbey.

The first elevated Helipad of its kind in the North West has opened at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.The state-of-the-art helicopter landing pad, which is situated on the roof of Grafton Street car park on Oxford Road, will enable critically ill patients to be airlifted straight to hospitals in Manchester city centre.

The helipad will bring adults and children with life threatening injuries to the Major Trauma Centres at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is the Children’s Major Trauma Centre for theentire Greater Manchester region and one of only two dedicated Children’s Major TraumaCentres in the whole of the North West, providing care for seriously ill or injured children.

Manchester Royal Infirmary is one of two Major Trauma Centres in Manchester providingcare to adults with life threatening injuries related to trauma.

In an emergency, being able to land just minutes away from specialist care is crucial.

With the new helipad, patients will be transferred to MRI’s Emergency Department in less than three minutes and to RMCH’s Paediatric Emergency Department in less than sixminutes.

The new helicopter landing site on Oxford Road could allow as many as 300 patients to be airlifted to hospitals each year and is expected to save lives.

Alistair Rennie, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Major Trauma at the MRI andRMCH and Group Clinical Lead for Emergency Planning said: "The helipad will benefit major trauma patients across Greater Manchester and beyond, including people who have suffered serious injuries in road traffic accidents, assaults, sudden illnesses or falls in areas difficult to reach by road ambulances.

“I am delighted that this development is now a reality at MFT’s Oxford Road Campus, as formany patients our helipad could represent the difference between life and death.”

£3.9million towards the helipad was raised in just 12 months by Manchester Foundation Trust Charity’s Time Saves Lives Appeal.Lorcan Duane, Paediatric Emergency Department Lead for Major Trauma at RoyalManchester Children’s Hospital said: "The helipad will not only benefit children with major trauma injuries, but also children who need time critical transfers from other hospitals for specialist care and treatment.

Previously air ambulances carrying critically ill or injured patients to hospitals on OxfordRoad had to use a secondary landing site in parkland a mile away. Patients were thentransferred by road ambulance.

The helipad will be operational between 8am and 8pm every day, 365 days a year.