The rooftop helipad at the Royal Sussex County Hospital is now operational and ready to receive patients, marking a significant milestone in enhancing emergency and major trauma care across Sussex.
Located 388 feet above sea level on top of the Thomas Kemp Tower, the helipad allows air ambulances to land directly on site. This dramatically reducing transfer times for critically ill and severely injured patients, ensuring they reach specialist teams as quickly as possible.
Dr Andy Heeps, Chief Executive at University Hospitals Sussex, said:
Reaching this point has been both complex and challenging, but it is a wonderful example of multidisciplinary teams from across our Trust, truly coming together as one UHSussex, alongside our external partners and charities, to overcome the challenges associated with making the helipad safe and effective. The collaboration, problem‑solving and dedication shown by everyone involved has been extraordinary, and today marks a proud moment for all of us as we continue our mission to provide excellent care, everywhere.”
As the region’s designated Major Trauma Centre, the Royal Sussex County Hospital can now receive major trauma, cardiac, and stroke patients even faster.
The operational helipad means air ambulance services from across the region can bring patients directly to the hospital within minutes, strengthening the Sussex Major Trauma Network and improving outcomes for people with time‑critical injuries.
Air ambulance colleagues welcome its opening and emphasise its clinical importance.
Dr Duncan Bootland, Executive Medical Director at Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), said:
The opening of the new helipad at the Royal Sussex County Hospital represents an important step forward in helping KSS deliver the fastest possible care to the most critically ill and injured patients. In emergency medicine, every second counts, and being able to bring patients directly into the hospital will make a meaningful difference to their chances of survival and recovery. Our crews are committed to providing world-leading prehospital emergency treatment and care, and this new helipad will help us do that as safely and efficiently as possible.”
The development of the helipad has been made possible thanks in part to a £1.9 million donation from the HELP Appeal, the only charity in the country dedicated to funding hospital helipads.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal said:
We are delighted that the helipad has now opened as it will make a lifesaving difference for patients arriving at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, turning vital minutes saved into better chances of survival. We are incredibly grateful to our supporters, whose generosity has made this possible. Their commitment ensures that critically ill patients can land just a lift ride away from the specialist care they urgently need.”
The HELP Appeal’s contribution – one of the biggest the charity has given to any hospital – also covered the cost of a Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System, which can extinguish a fire within 15 seconds on the helipad, allowing air ambulance crews to continue treating and transferring a critically ill patient to the Emergency Department as quickly as possible. The Royal Sussex County Hospital’s helipad is now one of only eight in the country to have this state-of-the-art technology.
Recent months have seen extensive safety and readiness works to prepare the site, including upgrades to the helipad surface – part-funded by the HELP Appeal – and improvements to the fabric of the Thomas Kemp Tower.
Earlier this week, 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 exclusive footage of the simulation:
With the helipad now fully operational, patients across Sussex will benefit from faster, more direct access to emergency and specialist care. This achievement stands as a powerful example of how University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is bringing its Excellent Care Everywhere strategy to life — delivering outstanding, patient‑centred care wherever and whenever it’s needed.
