Nearly 300 landings at Exeter hospital’s new helipad

On 1 March 2023, it will be three years since a state-of-the-art helipad opened at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, thanks to a £1million donation from the HELP Appeal. Since 2020, it has seen 283 landings from air ambulance helicopters, which is on average, nearly two landings every week.

The hospital’s previous helipad could not accommodate helicopter landings at night, but the current helipad is equipped with lighting, so air ambulances can land during darkness hours. The new helipad was also enlarged to enable the latest generation of air ambulances to land. These bigger aircraft are hugely important 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 can land at night, the new helipad has also benefitted from air ambulance transfers out to Major Trauma Centres including those at Plymouth, Southampton and Bristol, all of which have 24-hour operating helipads funded by the HELP Appeal

Chris Tidman, Deputy Chief Executive at the Royal Devon says: “The helipad has been so important, enabling our specialist teams to provide much faster care to those who are critically unwell across Devon and the wider South West region at any time of the day.

“On behalf of the Royal Devon, I would like to thank the HELP Appeal, members of our community who donated, and the extensive network of volunteers who have made this happen.”

Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal adds: “This larger, lit helipad with immediate access to specialist, lifesaving treatment has helped the brilliant staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital provide the best possible care for air ambulance patients as they’ve had immediate access to the Emergency Department immediately after landing, anytime of the day or night.”

Thanks to the public’s generosity, the HELP Appeal has donated over £35 million in non-repayable grants to fund life-saving helipads at Major Trauma Centres and A&E hospitals around the country since 2009, which have seen over 23,000 landings. In Devon alone, it has donated £1,850,000 to fund helipads at NHS hospitals.

The HELP Appeal has also supported the work of BASICS Devon, a network of volunteer doctors, who support the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust at emergency incidents. It has donated £84,000 for their very own rapid response vehicle to support their emergency responders across Devon and equip members’ existing vehicles for an emergency role, such as the installation of CCTV technology and winter tyres. This funding enabled one new doctor to join the scheme after their vehicles were equipped to reach emergency incidents, which has helped with callouts in the North Devon area enabling the scheme to reach more people in the community to save lives.