Aintree Hospital’s helipad has played a crucial role in delivering life-saving treatment to more than 600 critically ill patients throughout Cheshire and Merseyside.
Since it became operational in 2017, the £1 million helipad at Aintree University Hospital, which houses the region’s Major Trauma Centre, has seen 607 air ambulance landings—averaging about two each week.
The facility was entirely funded by the HELP Appeal, the only charity in the country focused on supporting NHS hospital helipads.
The helipad received its first patient in 2017, coinciding with a visit from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, (who was the Duke of Cambridge then), who officially opened the Urgent Care and Trauma Centre at Aintree.
Since then, the most critically ill patients have been able to reach the hospital’s emergency department and specialized trauma services within seconds of landing.
Aintree Hospital serves as the primary receiving centre for adult major trauma cases in Cheshire, Merseyside, and the Isle of Man. Among the 607 landings, many involved trauma incidents stemming from road traffic collisions.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, remarked:
“Given the severity of air ambulance patients’ conditions, they need to get to a hospital for urgent care immediately. We take great pride in knowing that, thanks to our supporters, our contribution has allowed Aintree Hospital to provide treatment to the most critically ill patients 30 minutes sooner.”
The HELP Appeal has supported the construction and upgrade of 50 NHS hospital helipads across the country, which have seen over 28,000 landings.
This press release was prepared and distributed by The HELP Appeal.
