ERI helipad ‘almost useless’

The Evening News has discovered that the location of the helipad at the Little France site, among trees and hillside, means it can only operate in daylight hours because of a change in Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rules.

That means the majority of patients being moved to the ERI by helicopter have to instead land at Edinburgh Airport, before being transferred to an ambulance, adding up to an hour onto their journey.

Unions said it was yet another example of how the “flawed” PFI deal to build the hospital at Little France had a negative impact on services.

However, NHS Lothian said that at the time of construction, locating the pad to the rear of the hospital was the only option.

Unison’s Lothian branch chairman, Tom Waterson, said there should have been more flexibility when the helipad was built by controversial private firm Consort.

“Nothing that emerges about the PFI deal surprises me any more,” he said. “We’ve had so many problems since 1998.”

It is not the first time the helipad’s use has been called into question. Several years ago bosses had to remove speed bumps from the road joining the facility to the hospital after ambulance drivers complained.

The problems with the existing helipad were highlighted as part of a plan to construct a replacement on the roof of the new Sick Kids hospital.

It is understood the Civil Aviation Authority introduced regulations for hospitals in 2007. Crucially, those state that any landing pad at a hospital must have two landing and take-off approaches during darkness. As it stands, at the ERI site there is only one, meaning it is only able to accept around 34 per cent of flights.

A document, compiled by commercial property firm Montague Evans, on the new Sick Kids plans states: “The [existing] helipad was located to maximise take-off and landing zones while being clear of any cars, visitors or patients.

“The existence of current adjacent banking and trees prevents night-time flying, the helipad is therefore unusable for significant parts of the 24-hour period.”

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said: “People being airlifted are seriously ill, and the last thing they need is to be taken back to the airport then transported in an ambulance.

“Patients have been left with an almost useless facility.”

George Curley, acting director of facilities at NHS Lothian, said: “The site of our current helipad was considered the best option available at the time of construction.

“A subsequent change to Civil Aviation Authority regulations has meant that we are no longer able to use the helipad during the hours of darkness.”

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