King’s College Hospital launches new helipad

King’s College Hospital has announced the opening of its new on-site helipad, allowing the hospital take trauma patients landing at the hospital.

The new helipad will help the hospital save thousands of lives as it serves its trauma population of 4.5 million people across south east London and Kent.

Built on top of the hospital’s 10-storey Ruskin Wing, the helipad has been made possible thanks to a multi-million-pound donation from the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal. It is the first in mainland UK to be equipped with a deck integrated firefighting (DIFF) system.

This system automatically sprays foam from a series of nozzles installed into the helideck in the event of a fire, instead of relying on a team of fire fighters to manually extinguish it. Using the automated fire system will save the trust £200,000 each year compared to employing firefighters, and it guarantees to extinguish a blaze within eight seconds.

Dr Malcolm Tunnicliff, clinical director for Emergency Medicine at King’s College Hospital, said: “We are incredibly pleased that our helipad at King’s is operational. It’s a very positive development for the patients we treat and our staff, who go above and beyond every single day to save people’s lives. At King’s we treat some of the most seriously ill and critically injured patients in the south east. The helipad will speed up the time it takes to transfer patients from helicopter to hospital, giving patients the very best chance of survival.”

Mr Robert Bentley, clinical director of the King's Trauma Centre (KTC) and South East London Kent and Medway (SELKaM) Major Trauma Network, added: “We are very grateful to the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, plus the many other donors and fundraisers from across the King’s hospital community – without their generous contributions, the helipad would not have been possible.

“When a patient has experienced major trauma it is vital they get specialist treatment as quickly as possible. In these situations, time is life. We are proud to be the best performing major trauma network in the country, and our new helipad will help us continue our focus on delivering world-class trauma care, and saving even more lives.”

The HELP (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) Appeal was established by the County Air Ambulance Trust to help raise funds for much needed hospital helipad facilities across the country. The HELP Appeal donated £2.75 million to the helipad project, including £500,000 towards the entire cost of the DIFF.