Brighton hospital helipad plan delayed by a year due to cladding concerns

Brighton hospital's helipad has been delayed by a further year over fears helicopters could blow cladding off the hospital's walls, the BBC has found.

The platform at the Royal Sussex County Hospital was originally meant to open in 2019, but was hit with multiple delays due to the pandemic.

Plans to launch it in November were shelved after surveys found aircraft could damage the tower it sits on.

The hospital trust says a helipad will make a big difference to patient care.

Meeting minutes obtained by BBC Radio Sussex under the Freedom of Information Act reveal specialist surveyors' concerns that a landing helicopter might blow panels off the side of the hospital's Thomas Kemp Tower.

The cladding on the top 10 metres of the building will now need to be re-attached, delaying the opening until the autumn.

Labour city councillor Nancy Platts said she was "really surprised and a little bit shocked" to hear of the further delay.

"Local people would really like to have a straight answer about why the helideck is not in operation," added the councillor, who also chairs the Hospital Liaison Group.

Airlifted patients currently land in nearby East Brighton Park, and travel to hospital by ambulance.

Councillor Platts also organises East Brighton Parkrun, which is occasionally disrupted when the air ambulance has to land.

"One of the things we have to warn the runners about right at the start of the run is that there might be a helicopter landing," she said.

"It's happened a couple of times. Obviously everyone's first consideration is that somebody's in trouble. But we'd like to know what is happening."

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which is overseeing a £500m redevelopment of the hospital, said 125-145 patients a year might arrive via the new helipad.

Dr Rob Haigh, chief medical officer for the trust, said: "The helideck at the Royal Sussex County Hospital is complete and the structure has been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority."

Dr Haigh added that the cladding work "should be complete by the autumn, following which the helideck will come into operation".

"The helideck will allow patients to be brought to the heart of the hospital directly by air ambulance," he said.

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