Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that existing hospital helipads are protected from (a) planning and (b) operational restrictions.

Air ambulances form a vital part of the emergency response to patients in critical need. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with NHS England and the Department for Transport to ensure that there is appropriate helipad accessibility available for air ambulances across the country. However, there are no plans to make it national policy that all major trauma hospitals have access to 24-hour helipad facilities.

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to support and promote the interests of the health and care system throughout the planning process, including improving the participation of all relevant health stakeholders in the creation of local plans to ensure that necessary service provision is maintained.

Information on the proportion of major trauma hospitals that operate 24-hour hospital helipads in England is not held centrally.