Our helipad
The helipad at King’s College Hospital is one of only three in London. It helps save thousands of lives and supports the Trust to serve its trauma population of 4.5 million people across south east London and Kent.
Opening
Built on top of the hospital’s 10-storey Ruskin Wing, the helipad opened for landings in October 2016. This moment was five years in the making, following a detailed planning project and engagement with the local community and Lambeth Council. All this was made possible by a multi-million-pound donation from the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal. In addition, more than 2,600 patients, staff, and members of the local community generously donated £500,000 to the Trust’s Time is Life Appeal.
Saving time and saving lives
Serving a trauma population of 4.5 million people as part of the South East London, Kent and Medway (SELKaM) Major Trauma Network, the helipad has transformed trauma care across the region. Twelve hospitals are part of the network, including King’s College Hospital, Princess Royal University Hospital and St Thomas’. King’s College Hospital is the hub Major Trauma Centre for SELKaM.
The helipad has helped speed up the time it takes helicopters to transfer critically patients to King’s following road traffic accidents, falls, strokes, heart attacks and other time-critical medical emergencies. It has reduced ‘landing-to-resus’ transfer times to just five minutes, a process that used to take up to 25 minutes before the helipad was built. At that time, helicopters would land in nearby Ruskin Park and patients were transferred to King’s by road.
Most patient transfers are made by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex, a charity providing a Helicopter Emergency Service (HEMS) to the south-east of England.
Night landings
In March 2019, we became the first hospital Trust in London to be granted permission for air ambulances to land at night. This ensures patients get the same level of timely care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Before night landings were introduced, the helipad operated from 7am to 9pm. Any trauma patients who needed specialist treatment and care outside of these hours were brought to King’s by road ambulance.
Following engagement with local residents and Lambeth Council, air ambulances can land at the helipad 24/7. This reduces transfer time from the Kent coast from 2 hours to just 25 minutes.
On average, one to two air ambulances a week land at King’s at night. Most nighttime emergency patients still arrive by road ambulance. Patients are brought by road if they are already close to the hospital and the reduced transfer time the air ambulance could achieve is unlikely to affect their recovery.
The operational costs for the extended service are covered by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey and Sussex.
Hearing from local people – come and meet the major trauma team
We want to continue to involve local residents in the work of our helipad and Major Trauma Centre. We have set up regular sessions to share updates and hear your views.
Our first meeting took place on 16 May 2024
Next meeting
Our second meeting will take place on Thursday 12 December 2024, further details are below.
King’s helipad resident engagement session – winter 2024
Date: Thursday 12 December 2024
Time: 5pm to 6.30pm
Location: MS Teams
At this session, we will:
- provide updates on the helipad’s operation since our last event
- share further insights on the helipad’s role in supporting critical care
- share information on how we have addressed feedback from the last event
- welcome your thoughts and questions
Your voice is important to us, and these events ensure that we continue to listen and respond to our local community.
How to join the meeting
If you would like to attend, please email us on [email protected] for the full details, including joining link and instructions.
Please continue to check this page for dates of future meetings and how to join.