Beaumont to trial landing pad for air ambulance service

THE sight of low flying helicopters over the Northside will become more common when a new helipad to service local hospitals becomes operational next month.

Northside People has learned that the football pitch at Our Lady of Mercy College in Beaumont will be used as a landing pad for the air ambulance service.

The initiative, which will be trialled over the next 12 months, could potentially save lives by reducing transport times for seriously ill patients needing treatment in Beaumont, the Mater and Temple Street Hospital.

Test flights will get underway in the coming weeks for the helipad, which will only be used during daytime hours.

It’s understood that the National Ambulance Service has been looking for some time to source landing sites to expedite patient transfer times by air to designated hospitals. They have been collaborating with the providers of Aero-Medical transport to the HSE.

Beaumont Hospital is the National Centre for Neurosurgery, Renal Transplantation and Cochlear Transplantation.

According to Marie Keane, deputy chief executive of Beaumont Hospital, it’s not anticipated that the closer helipad will increase the number of air ambulance missions to their hospital.

“But it will assist in the decrease in time of arrival to the appropriate hospital department,

? she told Northside People.

“Patients will be accompanied by an advanced paramedic. Inter hospital transfer patients will be accompanied by a doctor/nurse.

“It is envisaged that there will be approximately six landings per year with no increase in numbers of patients transferring to this hospital.

?

According to a spokesperson for the National Ambulance Service, the new landing location will have

“significant benefit

? for both patients and Air Ambulance crews.

“It is hoped that this landing pad will provide, a positive assistance in the decrease of patient travel times to hospital,

? the spokesperson told Northside People.

“The National Ambulance Service would like to thank the board of management and the Principal of Our Lady of Mercy College in respect of this trial venture.

?

The football pitch used by Our Lady of Mercy College was surveyed and approved by both the Irish Air Corps and the Irish Coast Guard Service.

The National Aero-Medical Coordination Centre will manage the activation of the helipad, which is anticipated to become active within the next month.

This control centre dispatches both Irish Air Corps and Irish Coast Guard helicopters in support of the Ambulance Service for emergency calls.

The Ambulance Service has a dedicated emergency air ambulance, crewed by both Air Corps and the National Ambulance Service, which has responded to over 110 calls nationally, since it commenced operations in June 2012.