Helicopter pad too small for new air ambulances

8:05am Thursday 24th April 2008

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A new helicopter landing spot at Airedale Hospital is putting patients' lives at risk, it is claimed.

Seriously injured people flown in by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) now have a five-minute journey from the helicopter to the hospital doors.

The YAA said a new style of helicopter meant pilots could no longer land on the old pad right next to the Steeton hospital's accident and emergency department.

Landings now have to be made in a nearby sports field, known locally as Nannyfields.

The casualty is then transported to the hospital building by ambulance, via Lyon Road, Green Lane and the main road.

In a statement released by Airedale Hospital and the YAA, a spokesman said: "The Airedale Hospital landing pad was initially designed to accommodate the original Yorkshire Air Ambulance, an old generation Bolkow helicopter.

"Because of its age and limited space for the treatment of patients, the aircraft had to be retired. Its replacement, the new generation MD902 Explorer aircraft, is much more patient friendly and can carry more staff and equipment.

"However, this has meant that the new aircraft is not able to use the landing pad at Airedale Hospital due to safety reasons."

A Steeton resident voiced concerns after watching a patient being flown in.He said: "I was taking a walk and I watched a helicopter land in the sports field. From setting off from the helicopter, it took five minutes and 35 seconds to get from the back of the hospital to the front.

"I couldn't believe it, that is too long - lives could be lost."

Five years ago Airedale Hospi-tal chiefs took the decision to move the helipad from the front of the hospital to the back so it would be nearer to the A&E department.

The new landing pad meant that ambulance staff would have only 25 steps to take to reach the A&E doors, saving potentially valuable seconds.

The old landing pad was replaced by a car park at the front of the hospital, in a project costing around £40,000.

A YAA spokesman said: "The use of a land ambulance to transport patients the short distance from the hospital helicopter landing site to the emergency department is not uncommon, this system is used in many other hospitals through out the UK and not just in the Yorkshire region."

He also said that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance's two helicopters serve a population of approxi-mately five million people across four million acres, and since the charity was set up in October 2000 it has carried well over 2,000 patients.

He added: "With the introduction of the second air ambulance in October 2007, we can now say that when a patient has been received by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, they will be on average a 10 minute flight from the nearest hospital and or an average of 15 minute flight from the most relevant hospital.

"In addition, the swift medical interventions provided by the air ambulance crews can have a major impact on a patient's chance of survival and subsequent quality of life."

The YAA charity admitted that the situation is not ideal and says it is working closely with Airedale Hospital to improve landing facilities at the site.