Four years ago this month, the rooftop helipad opened at Manchester University Hospital – made possible through a £1.36 million contribution from us alongside additional donations. Since opening, the facility has seen 476 helicopter landings.

Located on the roof of the Grafton Street car park at the Oxford Road Campus (ORC), the state of the art helipad allows critically ill and injured babies, children and adults to be flown directly into Manchester city centre hospitals for urgent specialist treatment.

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) serves as the Children’s Major Trauma Centre for Greater Manchester and is one of only two dedicated children’s trauma centres in the North West, delivering expert care to seriously unwell or injured children. Manchester Royal Infirmary is also one of two adult Major Trauma Centres in the city, treating patients with severe trauma-related injuries.

In emergency situations, every minute matters. The helipad enables patients to reach MRI’s Emergency Department in under three minutes and RMCH’s Paediatric Emergency Department in less than six minutes after landing.The helicopter landing facility has already had a major impact both locally and across the region, helping to save lives and improve recovery outcomes for patients with serious illnesses and injuries.