A new location for a helipad at Tasmania's second-largest hospital has been identified after the previous one had to be mothballed.
Last month the Launceston General Hospital's helipad in Ockerby Gardens, next to the hospital, was shut down because it did not meet size, location and lighting requirements under updated Civil Aviation Safety Authority guidelines.
Instead, patients being transported by emergency helicopter now have to be dropped off at Launceston Airport, transferred to an ambulance and driven almost 13 kilometres to the hospital.
The new helipad will be on the roof of the Cleveland Street multi-storey car park, next to the hospital.
In a statement, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the new location met all the necessary requirements for an upgraded, contemporary helipad.
"The LGH helipad is a critical resource for the pre-hospital care and emergency transportation of Tasmanians, and we have found a safe and efficient long-term solution," he said.
"The new rooftop location will allow for the construction of a new state-of-the-art, contemporary helipad that provides efficient patient transfer to the emergency department, ICU and theatres."
Subject to necessary approvals and construction times, the new helipad is not expected to be in operation until the end of the year.
The design has not been finalised.
When the closure was announced, the vice-president of the Tasmanian Branch of the Australian Medical Association, Annette Barratt, said the relocation of the helipad was concerning and would have an impact on patient care.
Health unions said their members had been "blindsided" by the announcement and it could impact on a system already under strain.
Hospitals North chief executive Jen Duncan said the new helipad location would ensure patients got the best clinical outcomes.
"The new helipad location will provide a sustainable long-term solution for the LGH and the northern Tasmanian community," Ms Duncan said.
"It will ensure patients who require aero-medical transportation to and from the LGH will get to the right clinical area for their needs safely and efficiently."
Ambulance Tasmania will continue to use Launceston Airport as the landing site while the new helipad is built.
