COLUMN: What next for Welshpool’s Air Ambulance Base?

The news to close Welshpool’s Wales Air Ambulance base has been devastating, but Montgomeryshire Assembly Member Russell George discusses what’s next for the area once our red birds stop flying from the town.

“This month, we received the disappointing news that the Court of Appeal refused to grant a hearing into the closure of the Welshpool Air Ambulance base.

The Court of Appeal, as a higher court, considers appeals from lower courts, and its refusal means that we have now exhausted all legal avenues and have reached the end of the road in terms of pursuing a legal challenge.

This outcome follows an original application for a Judicial Review, which was issued last year and subsequently heard earlier this year. While the result is deeply disheartening, I remain convinced that, as a Campaign team, we were right to do everything within our power to contest the decision.

It has been a privilege to stand alongside dedicated individuals as part of the campaign group challenging the decision to close the Welshpool air ambulance base.

As passionate supporters of the Wales Air Ambulance service, we were saddened that matters escalated to the courtroom, yet we were left with little alternative in light of the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee’s (JCC) decision.

Their choice to adopt recommendations leading to changes within the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) - including the permanent closure of air ambulance bases in both Welshpool and Caernarfon - left our community with no choice but to seek legal recourse.

From the very beginning, we have consistently challenged the facts and rationale put forward for these changes. We have pressed decision makers to explain why they consider it acceptable for 40 communities to receive a slower emergency response, and why an increased unmet need in Mid and North Wales should be tolerated. These are questions that have never been satisfactorily answered.

It is my strong belief that the proposals to close the Air Ambulance’s bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon were based on incomplete and flawed information. The process has been marred by bias, misinformation, and misdirection.

Nevertheless, the facts remain unchanged: the people of Mid Wales were never seeking preferential treatment - only fairness. The residents of Mid and North Wales deserve the same standard of care and prompt emergency response as those living in urban areas.

The question we must now confront is: what comes next?

As part of the proposed changes, a range of so-called ‘mitigation’ measures were announced, including the deployment of additional road vehicles for areas of mid and north Wales. However, we firmly believe these steps fall far short of what is truly needed to safeguard vital services. We will continue to scrutinise and hold decision makers to account regarding their promise that no bases will close until these further resources are fully operational and in place.

I would also like to pay tribute to the many individuals who have fought tirelessly to oppose the closure of the mid Wales base, whether through organised petitions, dedicated fundraising, or passionate public campaigning.

This extraordinary collective effort has truly showcased the remarkable strength of feeling and unity within our communities.