Safety fears surrounding the use of the St Mary’s Hospital helipad by the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter have led to a decision to divert the chopper to Seaclose Park to carry out medical evacuations.
When seriously ill patients require airlifting to the mainland, the assistance of the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Lee-on-Solent is often called upon. Until recently, the 8-tonne helicopter would land on the helipad directly outside the doors to the Island’s only hospital for a quick turnaround.
However, a recent operational policy change means that the AgustaWestland AW189 helicopter will no longer be landing at St Mary’s.
Patients are now being transported by land ambulance to Seaclose Park in Newport for transfer into the Coastguard helicopter, a process which is much slower with higher risks. This was standard practice prior to 2013, but a need was identified for a dedicated helipad to be established much closer to the hospital.
This decision – which is thought to have come into effect around 4 weeks ago – follows the tragic death of 87-year-old Jean Langan. The pensioner suffered fatal injuries after being blown over by the downdraft of a Coastguard helicopter in Plymouth back in March 2022. Another pensioner suffered a broken pelvis during the same incident.
An investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Branch led to a number of safety recommendations being made last November. This included a recommendation that NHS England Estates review all existing hospital helicopter landing sites against the latest guidance and instigate appropriate actions to minimise the risk of injury from downwash to uninvolved persons.
It’s thought that the design of the helipad at St Mary’s, which went operational for the first time in May 2013, perhaps doesn’t have adequate downwash zones, nor effective measures in place to manage public movements in such a hazardous area. Therefore, compliance work needs to be undertaken.
Legal responsibility for the safety of designated hospital helicopter landing sites is said to be with the site operator, namely the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.
Medivacs by other helicopters – such as the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance – are unaffected.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has told Island Echo:
“The use of Coastguard helicopters to support the transfer of patients on the Isle of Wight has significantly reduced in recent years so this change, which affects helipads across the country, will have minimal impact on the Island.
“The Helipad at St Mary’s Hospital is just one of a number of ways that we receive patients and transfer patients to neighbouring hospitals and is used mostly by the Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance as well as other helicopter services.
“In the event that it is necessary to use HM Coastguard to transfer people off the island, patients will be transferred between St Mary’s Hospital and Seaclose by ambulance”.
The Trust has not commented on what work, if any, is taking place to resolve the situation to enable Coastguard helicopters to once again land at St Mary’s Hospital.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) spokesperson has added:
“Safety is paramount at hospital helicopter landing sites. Where sites require compliance work, contingency plans will ensure HM Coastguard helicopters can deliver people safely into the appropriate onward medical care.
“HM Coastguard’s 24/7 search and rescue capability is unaffected.”
Since the policy change, 2 medivacs have been carried out by the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Seaclose Park. Each time a Coastguard Rescue Team has been tasked to man the helicopter landing site, which comes at greater cost to the public purse.
