Maidstone Hospital’s new 24-hour helipad has taken its first landing.

Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex flew in to test the new landing pad as part of the sign-off process by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) earlier this week, and following the successful landing, the site is open as of today for use.

Watch the air ambulance land on the new helipad. Video: MTW

Once operational, it will help increase the life chances of seriously ill or injured patients being brought to Maidstone for treatment or flown from the hospital to specialist centres elsewhere in the country for treatment.

The air ambulance will be the main user but it can also be used by other emergency services as well as charities such as the Children’s Air Ambulance which provides a medical transfer service for critically ill babies and children up to the age of 18.

Furthermore, trust documents on preparations for Brexit said the helipad could be used in exceptional circumstances to transport essential supplies.

The Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads Appeal (HELP) has donated £300,000 to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, to build the all-weather pad at the rear of the oncology unit.

Construction work started in April this year and finished on October 10, to replace the often water-logged temporary site.

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John Weeks, the trust’s director of Emergency Planning, said: “We are extremely grateful to the HELP Appeal for generously agreeing to fund the landing site which will make a real difference to Maidstone Hospital.”

Richard de Coverly, assistant director of operations for Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex, said: “The new helipad is a fantastic facility.

"Not only will it allow us to fly patients into and out of Maidstone Hospital to specialist centres so they can access critical care quicker, it also means our crews can meet land ambulance teams who have seriously ill or injured patients on board who also need to be transferred elsewhere for urgent specialist medical treatment.”

Last week, the trust released a video showing how the helipad looks from the sky.

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