A helicopter has landed on the helipad at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, in Brighton, for the first time.
People living in the area around the hospital watched and some cheered as the first landing was made before sunset – and NHS bosses were keen to emphasise that it was a test landing for safety checks.
A second touchdown followed in the dark after 6pm although night landings are not planned when the air ambulance starts to bring patients to the Royal Sussex.
Further test flights and landings are planned and these are expected to involve dummy runs for the emergency transfer of patients out of the helicopter, down into the hospital to the resus area or wherever else they will receive treatment.
The major trauma centre clinical lead at University Hospitals Sussex, Stephanie Tilston, said: “Today marks an important milestone in regional emergency care.
“Today’s successful test landings bring us a step closer to making the helipad operational so we can care for patients with the most serious life‑threatening injuries and illnesses even faster than we do now.”
Dr Tilston added: “These initial 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.
“Every second counts and so it is essential we ensure we can perform those transfers as quickly and safely as possible.
“We are now an important step closer to delivering a fully operational helipad for people across Sussex.”
