YOU may be interested to hear of a new helipad at Bristol Children’s Hospital now enabling transfers when needed between Bristol and John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, to be accomplished in only 25 per cent of previous journey times via point-to-point transfers using both hospitals’ helipads.

Oxford based social entrepreneur, Tony Bateson and Professor Jonathan Benger, Professor of Emergency Medicine and airborne paramedic, have worked on the project for more than three years to get this impressive new resource into Bristol.

Already air ambulance helicopters from all over the south have made proving flights into the helipad, 12 floors above Bristol on the new Queen’s Building.

This 25-metre helipad will provide helicopter access for children and A&E patients for many miles around Bristol reducing the time taken to just 25 per cent of road ambulance journey times where in the past, two hours plus were not uncommon.

Transfer times between Oxford and Bristol hospitals will be more than halved for all patients.

Tony Bateson, founder of the County Air Ambulance Trust covering central England counties, has pioneered charity-funded helipads at seven key hospitals with many others in the pipeline.

He hopes this wonderful resource will impress and encourage more hospitals to sign up to his newly founded ArriveAliveAppeal project to secure helipads at all children’s hospitals and major trauma centres providing speedy point-to-point transfers for critical patients.

ARRIVE ALIVE APPEAL Woodstock Road, Oxford

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