Funded by the New Hospital Programme (NHP), the £100m building will provide two floors of clinical space and help transform the way the Trust provides emergency care.
The new Emergency Department will allow DCH to treat more patients and will include a dedicated area for children and young people, as well as space designed for people experiencing difficulties with their mental health. The Critical Care Unit will expand from 11 to 16 beds with the potential to increase further in the future, and will also include a paediatric space. The building will be connected to the main hospital by a link corridor and the space freed up will be re-purposed to support same day emergency care.
Members of the national NHP team, local partners and scheme supporters joined Trust teams to celebrate this milestone, which was marked by the unveiling of the £2million rooftop helipad courtesy of the HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.
The new building is also being supported by Dorset County Hospital Charity’s Emergency and Critical Care Appeal, which is raising £2.5million for enhanced facilities in the new building, including overnight accommodation for relatives and staff.
The new helipad is made from aluminium and was brought over from the Netherlands and installed by Bayards. The helideck is approximately 284 sq ft and can hold 8,600kg.
Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal Robert Bertram said: “Completing the construction of this state-of-the-art hospital helipad is a truly significant moment for Dorset and the whole region.
“As the only rooftop hospital helipad in the county, it will transform the way critically ill and injured patients receive emergency care. 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.”
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