HELP (Appeal for Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads)

HELP (Appeal for Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) is the only Charity funding Helipads at major trauma Hospitals.Hospital helipads for air ambulance helicopters – HELP Appeal

Denise Rowe from HELP gave an interesting and informative presentation to our Club about the Charity and the benefits it provides. Nationally, 55 helipads have been installed and another 40 are in the pipeline, all without any support from the Government or the National Lottery.

Locally, Dorset County Hospital (DCH) in Dorchester has received:-

• £2m million grant for a new rooftop helipad. This will allow a patients to be transferred quickly and comfortably via a lift directly into the hospital. Work underway on Dorset County Hospital's new helicopter pad | Dorset Echo
•  £41,000 for the installation of Helipad lighting.
• Funds to install a Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System (DIFFS). This will eliminate  the need for on-site Fire Fighters which will save the hospital an estimated £250,000 per annum

And, in recent years Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has received £54,000.

HELP also supports BASICs Teams (British Association for Immediate Care) through the provision of equipped vehicles. The BASICs scheme is run and supported by volunteers including off-duty medics who support ambulance services across the country in emergency situations. Home - BASICS