One year on from opening, the rooftop helipad at Sheffield Children’s Hospital has already made a remarkable impact. In its first 12 months, the helipad has seen 50 landings, including missions from the Children’s Air Ambulance, giving some of the region’s most seriously ill and injured children the fastest and safest possible arrival to specialist care.

The £6 million helipad was delivered thanks, in part, to the HELP Appeal contributing £2.8 million – the largest donation to the project. Its construction, completed over 18 months, created a direct and private route into the Emergency Department for young patients who need urgent treatment.

As the only Major Trauma Centre and dedicated paediatric hospital for South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and North Lincolnshire, Sheffield Children’s provides round-the-clock emergency care for children under 16. The helipad has transformed how patients reach the hospital. Before it opened, helicopters were forced to land in Weston Park, requiring medical teams to transfer critically ill children across the busy A57 – a process that added unnecessary time during emergencies.

Now, aircraft can land directly on site, ensuring safer transfers and faster access to lifesaving treatment.

Reflecting on the milestone, Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said:

“Marking one year since the Sheffield Children’s Hospital helipad opened is a proud moment for everyone involved. As the only charity in the country dedicated to funding hospital helipads, the HELP Appeal’s donation of £2.8 million has helped ensure that seriously ill and injured children can get the urgent care they need without delay and that impact will be felt for years to come.”

With a full year of operations behind it, the Sheffield Children’s helipad is already demonstrating exactly why it was needed, bringing children to the care they need, when every second counts.