ShAFF Supports Sheffield Helipad Appeal
17th Dec 2014
Organisers of the 10th Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (20-22 March, Showroom Cinema) are today announcing their support for the campaign to raise funds for a new helipad at Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital. Once again a suggested £1 donation from every ticket sold will go towards raising the £425,000 still needed to complete the project and there will be a special fundraising event announced in the New Year.
The Sheffield Helipad Appeal: ‘Saving Time, Saving Lives’ was launched in October by Sheffield Hospitals Charity to raise funds to build a new helipad next to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at the Northern General Hospital. Click here to donate.
In April, the 2014 Sheffield Adventure Film Festival audience raised more than £2,400 through donations and a film and talk by mountaineer and quadruple amputee Jamie Andrew. That raised almost half the money needed for a new blood fridge which is now on its way to the Emergency Department at the Northern General.
The new helipad will mean that patients requiring life-saving treatment can be transferred to the Major Trauma Centre (MTC) within seconds of landing, saving valuable time, as every second can be crucial when dealing with major trauma injuries.
The current helipad was built more than 20 years ago. It is located in a dip close to trees, is not lit and no longer conforms to safety guidelines although can be used for emergencies. Most importantly, its distance from the MTC means that patients must be transferred into a land ambulance for the journey from the helipad to the emergency room. This not only takes extra time but also adds complexity and risks additional discomfort for patients. .These issues means that aircrew sometimes choose to take patients to other MTCs further away meaning a longer journey for those desperate to be at the bedside of their loved one who may be critically injured.
Festival Director Matt Heason said, “We’re delighted to continue our support for Sheffield Hospitals Charity. Sheffield is the outdoors capital city of the UK – and a hot bed for adventure sports like climbing, biking, caving and hang-gliding. I would urge festival-goers to give generously, as one day you might be the one needing urgent treatment.”
Dr Stuart Reid, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Clinical Lead for Major Trauma at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said: “As one of 26 Major Trauma Centres in the country, we receive patients from a large geographical area including South Yorkshire and the Peak District in North Derbyshire. Having the helipad seconds from our door means we can start working on the patients sooner, which could make all the difference as every second really can count.”
“When someone suffers major trauma which involves multiple or serious injury, the speed with which they can get specialist medical help can be the difference between life and death, and that’s why this appeal is so important.”
David Reynolds, Director of Sheffield Hospitals Charity said: “ShAFF is a very successful event so I’m delighted that the festival is continuing to support Sheffield Hospitals Charity. Our Saving Time, Saving Lives appeal for a new helipad is about ensuring that those in the greatest need get the best treatment they can as soon as is physically possible. This gives them the highest chance of survival and the best possible recovery.”
John Jones, a retired university lecturer, aged 70 from Dore, near Sheffield, fell on a climb in the Peak District this summer. He was rescued by Edale Mountain Rescue Team before being flown by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to the Northern General Hospital.
He said, “I needed an airlift to the hospital because I was climbing on Stanage Edge and I fell off a route, right from the top of the crag about 5m on to a big block. I’ve been climbing for 54 years, so I’ve done thousands and thousands of routes all over the world. This was really an easy one. I stepped up the last step on the route and it was an easy move but I had no handholds and I think my foot slipped and that meant I fell backwards and had nothing to hold on to - it just happened like that. It was about 20 to 25 minutes to get me from hitting the ground to arriving at the hospital.
John’s wife Elaine said, “The helipad appeal in Sheffield is really important because if the existing facilities are kept as they are then it may be that when people have serious accidents and need to be treated in a major trauma that they wouldn’t necessarily have access to the Northern General so it would mean that local people might have to be transported to other hospitals further away, away from their families.”
John added, “You never think it’s going to happen to you. Without them all I wouldn’t be here today. If I hadn’t been airlifted that would have put things in a very difficult situation because you can bleed to death and it depends on how long you’re in that position. I was lucky, everything came together and I got to hospital on time. Thank you for your help.”
ENDS
Press Release: Immediate Release, Wednesday 17th December 2014
- Image 1 – Dr Stuart Reid in Sheffield’s MTC
- Image 2 – L to R: Pilot Andrew Lister (Yorkshire Air Ambulance), Dr Stuart Reid at the existing helipad site
- Image 3 – Artists impression of the new helipad
- Image 4 – John Jones
- Download in highest resolution: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6RhyoG. (Further images or higher resolution images are available on request)
- Video 1 – Helipad appeal http://youtu.be/y9Drxmc2W54
- Video 2 – John’s story http://youtu.be/Rv8nO-ELsUU
Contacts:
Lissa Cook, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival PR lissa@heason.net / 07818 411 791
For Sheffield Hospitals Charity, please contact; Heather Hughes, PR and Communications Manager on 0114 271 1351 or heather.hughes@shct.nhs.uk
Notes to Editors:
- The Northern General Hospital was designated a Major Trauma Centre (MTC) in April 2013 and is one of a network of 26 across England. MTCs are staffed by consultant-led specialist teams able to provide first-class care for the most extreme and urgent trauma cases. Sheffield MTC serves a population of approximately 1.8 million covering all of South Yorkshire and parts of the Humber, Derbyshire and the East Midlands.
- The project will cost around £2 million to complete, however, more than £1.5 million has already been pledged or donated but still leaves £425,000 that needs to be raised.
- The closest alternative MTCs are in Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham or Stoke. All represent extra flying time by helicopter and much longer journeys for family rushing to be with their loved ones. However, local patients could be taken to one of these if air ambulance crews decide not to risk a land ambulance transfer or need a better landing site.
- To find out more about the Sheffield Helipad Appeal or to make a donation visit: www.sheffieldhelipad.com or call Sheffield Hospitals Charity on 0114 271 1351. You can donate £5 by texting HELIPAD to 70660 (*Texts cost £5 plus network charge. Sheffield Hospitals Charity receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payer’s permission. Customer care 0844 847 9800)
- The Edale Mountain Rescue Team operate in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire and is one of the busiest Mountain Rescue Teams in the UK. They attend more than 100 incidents every year throughout Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, and rush to accidents from fallen climbers to crashed paragliders and injured walkers.
- The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the Yorkshire and the Humber region.
- To read more about John’s story visit: http://www.sheffieldhelipad.com/#stories.
About Sheffield Hospitals Charity
- Sheffield Hospitals Charity is the official NHS charity that helps patients being treated for almost every condition across all the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals sites.
- With the generous support and hard work of our donors and fundraisers, we invest more than £2 million a year in patient and family support, state-of-the art-equipment, pioneering research, improving the hospital infrastructure and supporting staff. We strive to provide a level of patient care beyond that which NHS funding can deliver. Our funds help to make life better for patients and their families at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Northern General Hospital, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Weston Park Cancer Hospital and Jessop Wing Maternity Hospital.
- For more information about Sheffield Hospitals Charity please visit: www.sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. It provides a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Sheffield, as well as specialist care for patients from further afield, including cancer, spinal cord injuries, renal and cardiothoracic services. In addition to community health services, the Trust comprises five of Yorkshire’s best known teaching hospitals; The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Northern General Hospital, Charles Clifford Dental Hospital, Weston Park Cancer Hospital and Jessop Wing Maternity Hospital.
- For further information about Sheffield Teaching Hospitals please visit: http://www.sth.nhs.uk/
