COLUMN: Last chance saloon for Welshpool Air Ambulance base
“Earlier this month the final phase of a consultation considering potential changes to Wales Air Ambulance base locations opened. I want to ask for your help to secure the future of the Mid Wales Air Ambulance base (in Welshpool).
I have included this link to my own response to the consultation that you could use to help inform your own response - every response matters!
It is vitally important that we have one last push to give our clear community view that Welshpool’s base should remain open for the long-term.
The engagement and consultation process is being led by Stephen Harrhy, the Chief Ambulance Service Commissioner for Wales, who will make a recommendation to the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee (a service within the Welsh NHS) that will then make a decision, which will include the future of the Mid Wales’s Air Ambulance base at Welshpool. Ultimately any final decision will be the responsibility of the Welsh Government, who are responsible for all Welsh NHS services.
This is the final opportunity to give your views before the decision is made in December.
From the start of this process, my main concern has been that closing Welshpool and Caernarfon’s bases would lead to a poorer service for Mid Wales. This has now been demonstrated by modelling data from Optima, a company commissioned as part of the process to examine the potential impacts of any change. Their work has clearly found that merging bases into one North East Wales site would lead to slower overall response times in Mid Wales.
Key areas of concern for me are:
- The modelling shows that the benefit of closing Welshpool & Caernarfon’s bases and opening one new site in North West Wales would lead to just three additional missions per year. This is very clearly within a margin of error. Following the plans that were originally leaked, we were informed an extra 583 missions per year across the whole of Wales would be achieved - a claim that has now been discredited. The company that provided the modelling have stated that they consider retaining both bases (Welshpool & Caernarfon) as a good option.
- At the start of this final consultation phase, it was stated that any impact from changes would be “tiny”. If this is the case, we would question the need for existing bases to close which would lead to continued local concern.
- If only one base is operated from to cover the Mid and North Wales area, poor weather could mean both air ambulances located at this one base are grounded. Currently, separate bases give added protection if one base is hit by poor weather or other events.
- It has previously been stated that the need for change is about patient outcomes, not economics. During the final consultation, it now appears that economics is a factor in the final recommendation. I have concerns that closing Welshpool and Caernarfon’s bases will also impact the charity’s ability to fundraise.
- The questionnaire in the initial consultation may not have captured all relevant views. For example, it asked people whether all of Wales should have an equal service, which is clearly likely to be answered positively. This may be used to make the case for the reconfiguration on bases. An equal service across Wales does not mean the same service delivered in every place. Many rural areas like ours do not have a local district general hospital, or reasonable access to A&E facilities, which strengthens the case for a locally based Air Ambulance service.
It is clear that closing Welshpool and Caernarfon’s bases and to open a new base in North Wales at Rhuddlan is still a very serious threat. It is now critically important that we have one last big push to feed our views into the final consultation.https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHes1rGvPxuZpBo1trL4PY4T1KUPv0uU-rMas-b3YHsVEahB4m8V7dy3P061QBhjCoecI81G7wxiNvDmCR3pi-WqD8K8Sd6Z9ImlgxrwAqUf5omc5WaLIQoYpRlaoJwfliJ-G9_5XxAUSSkfleIbbwdZGA=w650-h403-s-no
Both Craig and I attended public meetings in Welshpool and Newtown on October 12 and 13 respectively, and many thanks to those who attended these meetings as well as the public meeting in Machynlleth.
The final consultation concludes on November 12. You can provide your views by:
Post: ‘EMRTS Feedback’, EASC/NCCU, Unit 1, Charnwood Court, Heol Billingsley, Nantgarw, CF15 7QZ.
• E-mail: eascservicereviewqueries@wales.nhs.uk
• Online Query Form: https://easc.nhs.wales/engagement/sdp/
• Phone answer line: 01443 471520
Even if you have responded previously, you should again respond to ensure your views are captured in the final consultation. I would urge you to contact the process by letter, email, or telephone message before the closing date. You may like to consider using the points Craig Williams MP and I have raised and make other observations. Ultimately, this is about stating why retaining the base in Welshpool is so important to you."
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