With planned resurfacing works due to take place on the helipad at University Hospital Southampton (UHS), Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) has had to seek an alternative landing site for the region’s major trauma centre.
The crew and patient on board the aircraft will instead land at a nearby location with the help of two HIOWAA volunteers who have previous experience as air traffic controllers. The pair will be alerted by the duty crew when they are en route to UHS and will begin clearing the area and preparing essential lighting to ensure a safe landing for the crew and their patient.
While this work is ongoing, the Charity’s doctors and paramedics will continue providing life-saving care to the patient while they are being conveyed to UHS by the Ambulance Service using a road ambulance.
HIOWAA CEO, Richard Corbett, says:
“Without the dedication from our volunteers, this essential maintenance work could have resulted in the Air Ambulance having to land a long way from the region’s major trauma centre at UHS. Once again, the diverse skills and talents of our volunteers has saved the day and allowed us to continue giving our patients the best outcome possible.”
The service provided by the Charity’s volunteers is also enabling other Air Ambulances dispatched by HIOWAA to bring their patients to the nearby UHS landing site, potentially helping even more patients access emergency treatment from across the south.
So far this year, HIOWAA has landed at UHS a total of 139 times, equating to 1 in 5 missions.
Learn more about volunteering at HIOWAA.
