Royal Perth Hospital is home to the state’s Major Trauma Centre and State Spinal Service, and typically receives 73 per cent of the State’s trauma patients – over 300 ERHS helicopter patients per year – from as far away as Albany in the South to Dongara in the North.

The hospital required a new helipad to handle heavier emergency helicopters – increasing the weight limit from 5 tonnes up to 7.5 tonnes – and to meet new Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) standards.  

SPH suggested that the new facility should increase the helipad’s capacity for maximum helicopter weights up to 12 tonnes, thereby enabling Blackhawk, Seahawk and Sikorsky S92 Superhawks to land at the site in future.

Drawing on our cross-sector experience from the Health, Industrial and Resources sectors, SPH was engaged to deliver this complex facility in the heart of the CBD.

The main objectives revolved around prioritising patient and staff safety, and minimising disruption to hospital operations during the works.

The hospital’s previous helipad was located between two buildings, which limited the approach paths to two directions. One of the main challenges, then, revolved around the location of this new helipad – which is 12m above the existing roof and the hospital’s emergency theatres – while taking into account the flightpath of the existing helipad; because all of these facilities had to remain operational during these works.  

We also improved access times to emergency treatment services within the hospital by incorporating a skybridge that connects with a new Inpatient Receival Area (IPRA), located on the same level as the helipad. This IPRA provides direct emergency links to the extended lift core for access to the hospital’s emergency theatres.

The new heliport is designed to support the static and dynamic loads generated by helicopters upon take-off and landing, with a maximum static safe working limit of up to 12 tonnes.

With trauma patients requiring fast transfers to emergency facilities – every minute counts and has a direct impact on patient outcomes – this new helipad allows larger helicopters to travel greater distances from Perth, thereby providing life-saving medical treatment to more Western Australians.