Air Ambulance says Welshpool closure will “save more lives”
Mid Wales was left dumbfounded last night after the Review outcome fell in favour of the Charity’s wish to close Welshpool and Caernarfon bases in favour of a new central location in North East Wales.
The campaign to save the bases said that the data to back the decision was flawed, and that 40 local communities would be worse off.
But, the legal process followed an independent review of the charity’s NHS medical partners, the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS), identified that:
- On average, there are 2-3 people every day in a life or limb-threatening situation who need the service, but who currently do not receive it (known as unmet need).
- North Wales and the northern parts of Mid Wales are disadvantaged at night as the service currently only has one overnight crew, based in Cardiff, covering the whole of Wales.
- The service’s highly skilled medical teams based in Welshpool and Caernarfon are underused.
In it’s statement this morning, the Wales Air Ambulance Charity said that the EMRTS Service Review undertaken by the Chief Ambulance Services Commissioner for Wales, sought to resolve these issues by examining, in detail, the most effective and efficient way of delivering the service to patients. This involved an extensive 18-month review and appraisal process which included three periods of public engagement.
In conclusion, the Commissioner recommended that current crews and existing assets in Caernarfon and Welshpool come together in a new base located in a more central position of North Wales, near the A55.
Reflecting demand in the regions, one crew would operate 8am until 8pm. A second crew will operate between 2pm and 2am.
They said that “clear expert evidence shows that this development would deliver improvements for all parts of Wales”.
The recommendations, supported by the Charity, were approved by the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee on April 23, 2024.
In late 2024, a Judicial Review application was submitted focusing on the processes behind the independent review. The case was heard by a Judge at the beginning of the year. The Charity was not a defendant in this case but was classified as an ‘interested party’, with a vested interest in the outcome.
The Judge handed down his judgement and dismissed the claim, rejecting all of the grounds of the challenge.
Dr Sue Barnes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive, said: “We welcome this clear and unequivocal outcome. This service improvement is important as lives are currently under threat. It is vital to address the issues of unmet need, inequity and service underuse.
“The inequity is clear. In 2023 and 2024, we were unable to attend 551 incidents in Mid and North Wales, between 8pm and 2am. Every incident involved real people with very serious and life-threatening conditions.
“Aligned to that, we have resources in Welshpool and Caernarfon that are underused. For example, between November 2023 and October 2024, there were 105 days when our crews in Caernarfon did not see a patient. In Welshpool, it was 84 days without patient contact. Compare this with our crews in Dafen (13 days) and Cardiff (1 day), you can see the significant underutilisation of our current resources in Caernarfon and Welshpool.
“These contradictory issues exist because, at present, our service is not being delivered in the most effective way.”
Directly addressing communities in northern parts of Mid Wales and North West Wales, Dr Barnes said: “We want to thank you for the incredible passion you have for the charity.
“I offer you my heartfelt reassurance that nobody is losing a service. This development is very much about improving the service and not removing it. It means that we will be able to save more lives in your community and across Wales.
“Working together, every development we have made over the past 24 years has improved our service and that’s our only aim. I genuinely believe that we have an opportunity to deliver an even better service for you, saving more lives.”
Former emergency medicine consultant and experienced air ambulance medic, Dr Kyle Jacques, is chair of the charity’s trustees. Evaluating the past three years and looking forward, he said: “We respected the processes of the EMRTS Service Review and the subsequent Judicial Review, avoiding public commentary. Our wish now is to come together with supporters, partners, community representatives, and political representatives to explain the developments, address misconceptions, and offer reassurance.”
The charity, which has attended over 53,000 missions since 2001, needs to raise £11.2 million every year to operate and maintain its four helicopters and fleet of rapid response vehicles.
Dr Jacques concluded: “Our commitment is, and always will be, to deliver the best possible care, with the resources available to us – wherever and whenever it is needed.
“We exist because of you and with your support, our charity will be there for you and your community – now and always.”
The full Judicial Review judgement can be read via Lowri Evans, R (on the application of) v Aneurin Bevan University Local Health Board & Ors – Find Case Law – The National Archives
Information about the service improvement can be found here.
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