King's College Hospital's Denmark Hill helipad has handled over 2,300 patient transfers in ten years, 547 at night. Who paid for it and who flies in.
The helipad on the roof of King’s College Hospital at Denmark Hill turned ten on Monday, and in that time it has handled more than 2,300 patient transfers, 547 of them at night, according to figures published by the hospital trust.
It opened on 26 October 2016. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust describes it as London’s only fully operational helipad open 24 hours a day, seven days a week: lighting on the roof lets helicopters land after dark, which is how nearly one in four of those transfers arrived.
Why the roof matters
King’s is the designated Major Trauma Centre for South-East London, Kent and Medway, and part of the London Trauma System. Adults and children across that region who need specialist trauma care are taken there by road or air, bypassing hospitals not equipped for the most severe injuries.
The trust says the helipad’s value goes beyond the flight. Lifts run from the pad straight to the trauma units, cutting the transfer from roof to treatment to a few minutes. Some of the care at the bottom of that lift, the trust says, only King’s can provide: management of complex liver trauma and advanced liver failure, and the largest co-located neurosciences centre, which can track brain, spinal cord and nerve function in real time during high-risk surgery on children and adults.
Dr Malcolm Tunnicliff, Emergency Medicine Consultant and Clinical Director for Major Trauma at the trust, said:
“We’re both excited and proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of our helipad. As the only helipad that is open 24/7 in the Southeast of England, thousands of patients have been flown to King’s in the last 10 years by our pre-hospital partners, such as Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, Sussex, and have benefitted from more timely access to care from our dedicated major trauma team. We are indebted to the HELP appeal, King’s College Hospital Charity and many members of the general public who supported the development of the helipad, and have no doubt contributed to saving lives.”
Who flies in
Most patients arriving by air come with Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), which runs a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service across the south-east. According to the trust, KSS can fly a critically injured patient from the furthest reaches of the Kent coast to the King’s resuscitation room in 25 minutes, a journey of more than two hours by road.
Dr Duncan Bootland, Executive Medical Director at KSS, said:
“For more than 15 years, King’s College Hospital has played a vital role in the care of our most seriously ill and injured patients, particularly those from Kent who require access to specialist major trauma services. The close partnership between KSS and King’s means patients can be taken directly to expert teams when every second counts. For the past 10 years, the King’s helipad has further strengthened that partnership, helping to ensure patients reach specialist care as quickly as possible and giving them the very best chance of survival and recovery.”
Paid for by a charity and the neighbourhood
The helipad was funded with £2.75 million from the HELP Appeal, which the trust says is the only charity in the country dedicated to funding hospital helipads, and £500,000 raised by patients, staff and the local community through King’s College Hospital Charity: £3.25 million in all.
Alan Bolchover, Chief Executive of King’s College Hospital Charity, said: “When someone is critically injured, every minute counts. For ten years, the King’s helipad has helped patients reach the specialist care they urgently need. We’re grateful to all those people whose generosity made it possible.”
The HELP Appeal’s money also paid for the UK’s first Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System on a hospital rooftop helipad. It sprays foam automatically from nozzles set into the deck if a fire breaks out, rather than relying on firefighters to put it out by hand. The charity has recently given a further £56,340 to upgrade it.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said: “Ten years ago, the first air ambulance landed on the helipad at King’s College Hospital. For the people arriving there in the worst moments of their lives, the distance between landing and specialist care matters deeply. This anniversary is a chance to thank our supporters who made the helipad possible, which, along with the incredible emergency care team, give patients and families hope when every minute matters.”
What it means for you
- The noise overhead is a patient arriving. Helicopters can land at any hour, and on the trust’s figures nearly one transfer in four has come in at night.
- King’s is the trauma centre for this whole area. If you or someone you know is seriously injured anywhere in South-East London, Kent or Medway, this is where the most severe cases are taken, by road or air.
- Part of it was paid for locally. The £500,000 came from patients, staff and neighbours through King’s College Hospital Charity, alongside the HELP Appeal’s £2.75 million.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust also runs the Princess Royal University Hospital and Orpington Hospital, and says it cares for 1.5 million patients across Southwark, Lambeth, Bromley, Bexley, Lewisham and parts of Kent.
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