By Hull Royal Infirmary’s helipad shut by building work
Bosses at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust have suspended the use of a helipad at Hull Royal Infirmary during work to construct a new intensive care unit.
The helipad, which only opened in September 2020, cost the trust £600,000 – the hospital described it as potentially “the difference between life and death”.
It was funded entirely by the HELP Appeal, a charity dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.
But now, helicopters are having to land at a site across a road at the side of a car park. Patients are then being transferred to the hospital by ambulance, increasing the length of their journey by around 15 minutes.
A spokesperson for the trust added:
“In late 2020 we agreed with our helicopter providers that the Hull Royal Infirmary helipad would temporarily move back to its original location adjacent to the main hospital car park while significant construction work was under way.”
According to the trust, the landing pad will be back in use “in the summer”.
Until then, it is being used as a parking and storage area for vans and construction equipment.
Contact Gi Hull
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation
