Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal visited Manchester University Hospital to see the progress being made on the construction of its new rooftop helipad and to present the final Grant cheque for £250,000 – out of a total £1.4 million donated by the charity – to enable the construction of the helipad which is set to open Summer 2020.

Robert said: “It’s fantastic to know that in just a few month’s time, Manchester University Hospital will have a helipad that allows critically ill air ambulance patients to have immediate access to its excellent Emergency Departments after landing. This will save time is getting the treatment they urgently need and will save many lives in the process.”

The new helicopter landing site, being built on the roof of Grafton Street car park on Oxford Road will enable critically ill or injured babies, children and adults to be airlifted straight to four major MFT hospitals.

A high-level patient transfer corridor will connect the helipad landing site to Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH), Saint Mary’s Hospital (SMH) and Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH).

The helipad will also have a Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System (DIFFS) funded entirely by the HELP Appeal. This state of the art technology can extinguish a fire quickly and effectively, protecting the helipad and hospital infrastructure should the need arise.

The helipad is expected to see an estimated 312 patients airlifted to the site each year.