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Bristow Helicopters halt search and rescue landings at ARI during safety review

The helipad at Foresterhill is one of 23 across the country which the operator has withdrawn from until further notice.

ARI
Bristow Helicopters have stopped landing at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary until further notice. Image: Scott Baxter/DC Thomson.

Bristow Helicopters has halted all search and rescue landings at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) until further notice.

It is understood patients travelling on Bristow helicopters could land at Aberdeen Airport before being transferred to hospital by road ambulance.

Bristow operates HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The helipad at Foresterhill is one of 23 across the country which the operator has withdrawn from following updated guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority.

All helicopter landing sites in the UK are being reviewed in the aftermath of a fatal accident at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth caused by “high levels of downwash”.

Bristow SAR helicopters pause landings at ARI

Until they can ensure safeguarding is in place, Bristow will not land any helicopters at the specified sites.

These include ARI where there were 58 search and rescue landings between May 2022 and May 2024.

It is understood Bristow make up around 10% of all landings at the helipad – which also serves Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

A Bristow Helicopters spokesperson said: “Safety is always our first priority.

“Guidelines for safe Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter operations to Hospital Helicopter Landing Sites (HHLS) are set by the CAA.

“Management of these sites is the legal responsibility of the NHS Trusts. We continue to work with all NHS Trusts to ensure continued safe operations within CAA guidelines at all sites.”

Helicopter leaving ARI
A rescue helicopter leaving ARI. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

It is believed search and rescue helicopters will instead land at alternative sites, such as Aberdeen International Airport.

Patients will then be transferred to the hospital by ambulance – adding about five miles by road on to the journey.

A MCA spokesperson said: “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.”

The helipad at ARI, and all others across the country, will remain in use by other operators, including the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and Scottish Charity Air Ambulance.

However, search and rescue services do provide a “back-up” role for SAS transfers if needed, particularly in bad weather conditions.

Safety reviews of all landing sites

NHS Scotland (NHSS) Assure issued a safety action notice on September 13 which stated all existing helicopter landing sites must be reviewed “to minimise the risk of injury from downwash to uninvolved persons.”

This action was recommended in a report published by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) on the incident at Derriford Hospital.

On March 4, 2022, a search and rescue helicopter was landing at the hospital’s helipad when several members of the public were “subjected to high levels of downwash”.

One person, an 87-year-old woman, suffered fatal injuries while another was seriously injured.

The investigation into the incident highlighted the importance of safety management at landing sites and led to reviews being recommended at all relevant UK hospitals.

Bristow HM Coastguard SAR helicopter
Bristow Helicopters operate the HM Coastguard search and rescue service. Image: Sandy McCook/DC Thomson.

An NHS Grampian spokesperson said: “On average more than 260 helicopters land safely at our Foresterhill site each year.

“We are committed to ensuring our facilities remain safe for patients, the public and our staff.

“We are currently working to enhance the safety of our helipad to ensure it meets the most up-to-date guidance available.

“Currently we are meeting stakeholders to discuss improvements and mitigations to address points detailed in the recently issued NHS Assure Safety Action Notice and in line with the recently published 2024 UK Civil Aviation Authority regulations.”

Still landing at ‘green’ locations

Bristow search and rescue operations have also been withdrawn from other landing sites run by NHS Highland and NHS Western Isles.

However, there were no reported landings at the majority of these locations between May 2022 and May 2024.

Bristow has requested each health board confirms its landing sites are “safeguarded” and suitable for search and rescue “safe operation” before operations resume.

It has not been confirmed how long safeguarding reviews will take to complete.

During this time, they will continue to operate at specified “green” locations which include Gilbert Bain in Lerwick and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness – where there were a combined 289 landings between May 2022 and May 2024.

Concerns raised by MP

Andrew Bowie
MP Andrew Bowie. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson.

MP Andrew Bowie has raised concerns about search and rescue helicopters not being able to fly directly to the hospital helipad stating “every second counts in a health emergency”.

The West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP has also questioned what impact the decision will have on offshore workers who may need to be flown to hospital if they suffer an injury or fall ill.

While Bristow do not operate medevac flights for offshore workers, they may be tasked in an emergency situation if others are unavailable.

He said: “This is a worrying development for those working offshore, who depend on the quickest possible care when something goes wrong.

“I have already asked for more detail concerning Scottish operations from industry and the Scottish Government.

“I will share all information with north-east colleagues who will all have constituents working offshore.

“In a wider UK context, we will need to address this issue with the Labour UK government – helping them to work with Bristow and get these helipads back in use for vital airlifts.”

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