The new rooftop helipad at Royal Sussex County Hospital is now operational.
For patients across Sussex, this means faster transfers to hospital and quicker access to the specialist care they need in life‑threatening emergencies.
As the region’s designated Major Trauma Centre, Royal Sussex County Hospital already plays a crucial role in treating the most severely injured patients.
The addition of the helipad further strengthens this role, enhances the Sussex Trauma Network and ensures that patients from across the region are brought directly to the hospital for the very best trauma care.
Preparing for take-off
Our journey to the first flight has been marked by a series of essential upgrades, including more recently:
- Repainting the landing “H” for maximum visibility
- Installing an enhanced fire suppression system
- Final remedial works have been completed on the Thomas Kemp Tower to ensure safe landings.
February 2026
On 24 February 2026, successful air ambulance test landings brought us a step closer to making the helipad operational.
The test landings allowed us to test the helipad itself, with a view to receiving sign-off from the Civil Aviation Authority. The next step will be to test out our processes for receiving extremely vulnerable patients, and transferring them smoothly from the helicopter to the right clinical team.
Watch the video to see our teams in action as they undertake the helipad simulation exercise.
March 2026
On 2 March 2026, the project passed its final major test: a full end to end simulation involving a live helicopter landing and the safe transfer of a mannequin representing an extremely vulnerable patient. The exercise verified that both the helipad and clinical teams are fully prepared to support seamless transfers from aircraft to the right specialist care.
Watch the video to see exclusive footage of the simulation exercise in action.
Why it matters
The helipad will enable faster transfers for:
- Major trauma
- Cardiac emergencies
- Stroke emergencies
By bringing patients directly to specialist teams, the helipad will significantly reduce transfer times and strengthen our role as a key provider of trauma and other tertiary services across the region.
Stay connected
We’re excited to share this journey with you. Keep an eye out for updates as we move closer to welcoming our first official air ambulance landing.
We would also like to say our thanks to the teams who have worked hard to help us to achieve this important improvement to trauma care for Sussex patients, and to those teams who have shown flexibility and a real ‘One UHSussex’ spirit to enable us to undertake the maintenance works required to make the helipad operational