This month marks two years since the opening of the state-of-the-art helipad at Salford Royal. Made possible by a £2 million donation from the HELP Appeal, the facility forms part of the country’s first standalone Major Trauma Hospital.

Since opening, the helipad has seen 117 landings, highlighting its vital role in supporting emergency healthcare services across the region.

A key feature of the helipad is its unique lift shaft, which provides direct access from the rooftop landing pad straight into the Emergency Department. This innovation significantly reduces the time it takes for critically injured patients to receive specialist treatment, helping to save precious minutes when every second counts.

Before the helipad was installed, air ambulance patients had to land in a nearby sports field before being transferred to the hospital by road ambulance. The new facility eliminates this additional journey, reducing patient transfer times by up to 20 minutes – a crucial advantage in life-threatening emergencies.

The helipad serves the wider North West region by enabling faster patient transfers, improving the efficiency of emergency care, and helping to deliver better outcomes for patients in urgent need of lifesaving treatment.

Two years on, the helipad continues to demonstrate how vital it is, ensuring that critically injured patients can reach specialist care faster and receive treatment when it matters most.