With only seven days to go until the official opening of our new helipad on Friday 5th June, which is co-funded by County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, all checks are being completed to ensure it is safe to use.

Last week, a ‘trolley dash’ took place with Julie Richards, Associate Director of Estates, playing the role of a patient, as members of staff from our Emergency Department (ED) walked through the route that a patient being transferred by air would travel.

It is important to provide testing for the especially purchased motorised trolley and the new designated trolley route, as it gives staff confidence in using the motorised trolleys to ensure a smooth and safe transportation of the patient in real circumstances.

Nick Thomas, Director of Planning and Site Services said: “We recently undertook some training in preparation for the opening of the new helipad, which is now located at the top of the Derriford Site.

“This training is essential for the ED team as not only has the location altered, the route incorporates a rather steep hill which necessitated the purchase of motorized patient transfer trolleys.

“Julie volunteered to be our ‘patient’ during the ‘trolley dash’ and we are pleased to report that testing went extremely well. The team are looking forward to putting the new trolleys to good use when the helipad site opens in June.”