Tilbury Douglas has reached a significant construction milestone at Dorset County Hospital following the installation of a new rooftop helipad on the hospital’s £100m Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit development.
The installation, completed by specialist contractor Bayards, marks the topping out of the new structure and represents an important step towards transforming emergency and critical care services across Dorset.
Funded through the New Hospital Programme, the development will deliver two floors of modern clinical accommodation designed to increase capacity, improve patient flows and provide a more appropriate environment for people requiring urgent treatment.
The expanded Emergency Department will enable Dorset County Hospital to care for a greater number of patients while introducing dedicated facilities for children and young people. It will also include specially designed accommodation for people experiencing mental health difficulties, helping the Trust provide more suitable and supportive emergency care.
The hospital’s Critical Care Unit will increase from 11 to 16 beds, with the flexibility to expand further as future demand requires. A dedicated paediatric space will also be incorporated into the unit.
A new link corridor will connect the development directly to the existing hospital. Once services have transferred into the new building, the vacated space within the main hospital will be repurposed to support same-day emergency care.
Representatives from the national New Hospital Programme, local partners and supporters of the scheme joined Dorset County Hospital teams to celebrate the topping-out milestone and the unveiling of the new £2m rooftop helipad.
The helipad has been funded by the HELP Appeal, the only UK charity dedicated exclusively to financing NHS hospital helipads. Manufactured from aluminium and transported from the Netherlands, the structure can support a weight of up to 8,600kg.
As the only rooftop hospital helipad in Dorset, the facility will allow air ambulances to land directly above the Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit. This will significantly reduce the time needed to transfer critically ill or injured patients from an aircraft into the hospital.
Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal, said the completion of the helipad represented a significant moment for Dorset and the wider region.
He added: “By enabling air ambulances to land directly at the hospital, precious minutes can be saved when every second counts, giving patients the very best chance of survival and recovery.
“We are immensely grateful to everyone who has supported the HELP Appeal. This milestone belongs to every donor and fundraiser who has helped make this life-saving project possible.”
The wider development is also being supported by Dorset County Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal. The campaign aims to raise £2.5m for enhanced facilities within the building, including overnight accommodation for patients’ relatives and hospital staff.
Once complete, the project will provide Dorset County Hospital with a modern, flexible and better-connected clinical environment capable of supporting rising demand while improving the experience of patients, families and healthcare teams.
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