Hospital helipad opening delayed until 2025

The Helipad at the Royal Sussex County Hospital should have become operational in 2019

The helipad of a hospital in Brighton will not open until 2025 at the earliest due to fears that helicopter landings could blow out windows in the hospital.

The £14m platform at the Royal Sussex County Hospital was originally meant to open in June 2019, but has been delayed repeatedly.

There are now fears that landings could damage windows in the floors below the helipad, including the neonatal intensive care unit for premature and seriously ill babies.

A University Hospitals Sussex (UHSussex) spokesperson said the trust was "committed to open the facility as soon as it is safe to do so".

The helipad is on top of a 15-storey tower directly above The Trevor Mann neonatal intensive care unit.

In January 2023 the BBC revealed helicopters landing had the potential to blow cladding off the walls of the hospital.

A structural survey of the external windows of the Thomas Kemp Tower revealed further testing was needed on a number of window fixings across the top two floors to "ensure their integrity."

The BBC understands testing will not be completed until the end of the year.

A UHSussex spokesperson said: “We acknowledge that there have been significant delays in bringing the helipad into use and understand the disappointment this is causing. However, our commitment remains to open the facility as soon as it is safe to do so.

“Further structural survey work is being undertaken on the Thomas Kemp Tower, and we will work to confirm a new operational date after this work has been completed.”

When it is operating, 150 patients a year could arrive by air ambulance at the hospital's A&E department.

Airlifted patients currently land in nearby East Brighton Park, and travel to hospital by ambulance.

Previously the trust had said 125-145 patients a year might arrive via the new helipad, once it is operational.

The landing pad is expected to cost the trust in excess of £452k a year to operate.

In 2019, an appeal raised £1.65m to help build the helipad, believing it would save time in transferring seriously ill patients to the hospital's emergency department.

The charity said "We have been kept updated on the delay and are really keen to see the project come to fruition as soon as possible".

Additional reporting by Rosie Taylor.