Stuart Anderson MP is backing Air Ambulance Week, taking place between 7th and 13th September 2026, to celebrate the lifesaving work of air ambulance charities and highlight the urgent need for safeguarded 24/7 hospital helipads.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"Midlands Air Ambulance saves lives in South Shropshire and across the region, attending 4,500 missions in 2025 alone, largely funded by the generosity of local communities. I am delighted to support Air Ambulance Week to celebrate their lifesaving work under this year's theme - Every Mission Starts With You. Hospital helipads are a critical part of our emergency healthcare infrastructure. For patients needing urgent specialist care, safeguarded 24/7 on-site helipad access is vital to the journey from the scene to definitive hospital care. The new APPG report is essential reading. It found more than half of Major Trauma Centres and specialist hospitals still lack 24/7 on-site helipad access, forcing crews to land off-site and continue by road. That introduces delays and complexity, potentially affecting outcomes and leading to longer stays and more complex treatment. If Major Trauma Centres don't have safeguarded helipads, it puts lives at risk. I'll be pushing Ministers to take the recommendations seriously."
Midlands Air Ambulance attended 4,500 missions in 2025 alone, funded largely by local generosity. Across the UK, 21 air ambulance charities respond to an average of 137 missions every day. This year's theme, Every Mission Starts With You, recognises the donors, fundraisers, and volunteers who keep them flying.
Stuart welcomed the new APPG for Air Ambulances report, ‘Critical Moments, Life-Saving Infrastructure’, published in June 2026 with Air Ambulances UK, the HELP Appeal and the University of Liverpool. It assessed 43 Major Trauma Centres and specialist hospitals and found more than half did not have 24/7 on-site helipad access.
Hospital helipads are a critical part of emergency healthcare infrastructure. Where an air ambulance cannot land directly at a hospital, patients must land off-site and continue by road, introducing delays to definitive care, more complex treatment pathways and longer hospital stays.
The report sets out six recommendations and costed solutions, calling for a coordinated national framework across the Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Transport and CAA, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure helipad access is safeguarded in national policy and the planning system.
1. Mandate 24/7 onsite helipads at all MTCs and specialist hospitals.
2. Embed 24/7 onsite helipads in national NHS commissioning, standards, and specifications
3. Classify helipads as critical infrastructure in the National Planning Policy Framework.
4. Support the CAA with regulatory changes to safeguard helipads.
5. Create a National Emergency Hospital Helipad Infrastructure Contingency Fund
6. Undertake an independent national review of UK hospital helipad infrastructure.
