Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital New Helipad

HELP Appeal, April 09, 2020 - A brand, new helipad at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital is now open, thanks to the entire cost of the upgrade being covered by a £1million donation from the HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding hospital helipads.

The hospital’s previous helipad was unable to receive night landings, but the new helipad is equipped with lighting so air ambulances will be able to land during darkness hours. The new helipad, which has been built on the same location as the previous one, has also been enlarged to enable the latest generation of air ambulances to land. These bigger aircraft are vital in an emergency, as they are faster, can carry more medical equipment and another medic or a relative of a critically ill patient.

As air ambulances are able now land at night, it is expected that the new helipad will also benefit from air ambulance transfers out to Major Trauma Centres including those at Derriford Plymouth, Southampton and Bristol, all of which have 24 hour operating helipads funded by the HELP Appeal.

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal said: “The team at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital have been working tirelessly to ensure that the helipad was ready as soon as possible, giving critically ill patients the best possible chance of survival, by being able to directly access the Emergency Department immediately after landing.

“The new helipad will enable the brilliant NHS medical teams at the hospital to receive and treat many more critically ill patients across Devon and further afield and I would also like to thank the generosity of the general public, without whose help we could not have made this new helipad possible.”

Captain Ian Payne, Flight Operations Director, Devon Air Ambulance Trust added: “Thanks to the HELP Appeal we will now be able to take our patients to the RD&E Hospital during the hours of darkness. This will mean that our patients can be taken to the most appropriate treatment centre for their needs whatever the time of day.”

The HELP Appeal was created in 2009 by the County Air Ambulance Trust. It is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads. The HELP Appeal relies solely on charitable donations and does not receive any government funding or money from the National Lottery. To donate please CLICK HERE or call 0800 3898 999.

The helipad is the 38th that the HELP Appeal has funded across the entire country.