A helipad capable of night operation was opened in 2015, to replace the existing daytime-only grass pad.

The hospital is used for clinical training of medical students from the Plymouth University Peninsula School of Medicine.

The regional hospital board decided that this would be built at Derriford, at the cost of £2 million (equivalent to £86,600,000 in 2023).

The helipad is large enough to accept search and rescue helicopters, and was the first in the region to allow night time landings.

[5] In 2022, the helipad was subject of a major incident when a woman was killed by a HM Coastguard helicopter.