The hospital is expecting to receive three air ambulances per week.
St George’s in Tooting is soon to become the second hospital in London to have a helicopter landing pad, as 18 months of building work comes to a close.
The helipad will come into operation within the next three weeks, making it possible for air ambulances to respond to long-distance emergency calls.
Sadiq Khan, Labour MP for Tooting got a sneak peek of the helipad last week, and praised the service long provided by St. George’s Hospital to the borough’s residents.
“Here in Tooting we are very lucky to have such a brilliant hospital on our doorstep,” said Mr Khan. “St George’s does a great job of serving our community, and their new helipad will only help them do a better job.”
He added that with the completion of the helipad, seriously ill patients could be transported directly to St George’s to receive the level of treatment required.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, also expressed excitement for the new helipad.
“This is a fantastic project which will help save the lives of many Londoners and will improve our healthcare service,” said Mayor Johnson.
The South London, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance services is tasked to respond as fast as possible to victims of life-threatening injuries.
The helipad on St. George’s cost £5 million to build, of which £1 million was generously donated by the HELP appeal, which provided funding for Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Southampton General Hospital, among others.
In accordance with Wandsworth Council’s noise restriction regulations, the helicopter service will operate between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm.
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