Princess Anne to visit Maidstone Hospital to unveil new helipad
11:58, 03 December 2019
updated: 17:28, 03 December 2019
The Princess Royal is set to open a hospital's new helipad.
Princess Anne will be visiting Maidstone Hospital on Wednesday, December 11 to launch its new addition.
The air ambulance will be the main user of the landing site but it can be used by other emergency services and charities such as the Children’s Air Ambulance which provides a medical transfer service for critically ill babies and children up to the age of 18.
The Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads Appeal (HELP) donated £300,000 to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, to build the all-weather pad at the rear of the oncology unit.
Construction work started in April this year and finished on October 10.
The visit also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex.
The Princess Royal will be welcomed by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Chief Executive, Miles Scott, and Chair, David Highton, before meeting representatives from clinical services and departments, including Cancer and Emergency Medicine, Occupational Therapists and the West Kent Dementia Partnership.
Guests will then move to the helipad where Princess Anne will be introduced to representatives from The HELP Appeal, the trust’s helipad response team and air ambulance staff.
She will then formally open the helipad by unveiling a plaque.
The visit comes shortly after Her Majesty The Queen attended the Royal British Legion Industries Village in Aylesford last month.
Before departing, the Princess Royal will be presented with flowers by long serving staff member Shirley Hollinshead, who this year celebrated 53 years’ continuous NHS service.
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