Frimley Park Hospital has taken delivery of an early Christmas present in the form of a new helicopter landing pad for its £22m emergency department development.

Sections of the helipad are now going into place on the roof of what will be one of the biggest and most modern emergency departments in the country when it opens in late spring 2012.

The building will also include a new day surgery department on the first floor to allow the hospital to carry out more operations as day cases, reducing the time people have to stay in hospital and improving recovery.

Installation of sections of the helipad began last week and continued over the weekend. The safety netting around the helipad is already clearly visible from the ground and the multi-storey car park. The helipad is scheduled to be finished in mid-January, although this could be delayed by poor weather.

Temporary on-site traffic controls have been necessary on some roads while work has continued overhead.

Prem Premachandran, clinical director for emergency medicine, said: “Although it’s still surrounded by scaffolding the building is has really taking shape now and we are getting a feel for how it is going to look inside too.

“It has been one of the biggest and most ambitious building projects Frimley Park has seen since it opened in 1974. I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while work continues and I hope they can see that it is all going to be worthwhile.

“Our staff and the builders VINCI have also worked really well together to ensure we continue to deliver an excellent service. We’re all really excited, especially now the helipad has arrived. It’s the icing on the cake and the end is now in sight.”

The helipad will mean that the hospital will be able to receive many critically ill casualties faster and more safely than at present. Sick and badly injured patients will also be transferred by helicopter to specialist centres once they have been stabilised at Frimley, which is safer and quicker than by road transport.

The hospital trust is recruiting from its own staff for the standby fire crew who need to be on hand for every landing.

The opening of the new extension housing the emergente traffic controls have been necessary on some roads while work has continued overhead.

Prem Premachandran, clinical director for emergency medicine, said: “Although it’s still surrounded by scaffolding the building is has really taking shape now and we are getting a feel for how it is going to look inside too.

“It has been one of the biggest and most ambitious building projects Frimley Park has seen since it opened in 1974. I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while work continues and I hope they can see that it is all going to be worthwhile.

“Our staff and the builders VINCI have also worked really well together to ensure we continue to deliver an excellent service. We’re all really excited, especially now the helipad has arrived. It’s the icing on the cake and the end is now in sight.”

The helipad will mean that the hospital will be able to receive many critically ill casualties faster and more safely than at present. Sick and badly injured patients will also be transferred by helicopter to specialist centres once they have been stabilised at Frimley, which is safer and quicker than by road transport.

The hospital trust is recruiting from its own staff for the standby fire crew who need to be on hand for every landing.

The opening of the new extension housing the emergency department will mark the completion of the first phase of the department upgrade. It will be immediately followed by refurbishment of the current emergency department, transforming it into a dedicated clinical decisions unit next to separate assessment units for medical and surgical patients.
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