05 June 2013
Work underway on new helipad at Bristol Royal Infirmary
Work has started on the construction of a new onsite helipad on
the roof of the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI). The helipad deck is
arriving in parts which will be assembled on site over the next 12
weeks.
The helipad will open in 2014 as part of a wider programme of
work currently underway across the BRI by University Hospitals
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol), which incorporates a new
ward block and Welcome Centre also due to be completed in
2014.
The helipad will connect directly to the adult Emergency
Department as well as to services within the Bristol Royal Hospital
for Children, allowing the fast and efficient transfer of patients,
the majority of which will be children and infants. The Bristol
Heart Institute will also receive patients transferred by
helicopter for cardiac treatment.
The 25-square-metre aluminium deck will sit four metres above
the existing roof level of the BRI's Queen's Building and connect
to the new ward block via a steel ramp leading to a new lift
lobby.
Access to the helipad will be via two new lifts and there will
be two fire escape staircases. The design and construction will
meet with stringent building and safety regulations, including
compliance with Civil Aviation Authority design standards, and
increased fire protection to the roof of the Queen's
Building.
The new helipad will receive air ambulances from Bristol and the
surrounding areas - including Bath, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire,
Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and South Wales - significantly speeding
up transfer times for critically ill and injured patients being air
lifted to the hospital for emergency care.
Professor Jonathan Benger, consultant in emergency medicine at
the BRI, said: "A helipad at the Trust providing quick access to
our adult and children's emergency departments and specialist
emergency services will save lives and give our patients, many of
whom are children, a much better chance of survival and
recovery."
A grant of £500,000 has been provided by the Helicopter
Emergency Landing Pads (HELP) Appeal Charity to support the
helipad's construction.
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