Health chiefs "support" for Rapid Response Vehicles

It is looking increasingly more likely that Rapid Response Vehicles will be provided in compensation for Welshpool losing its Air Ambulance base in the next 18 months.

The promising news was delivered this morning by Welshpool County Councillor, Graham Breeze, who sat in on a NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (JCC) meeting to hear support for increased Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV) following the decision to close Wales Air Ambulance bases at Welshpool and Caernarfon.

The charity said that closing the two bases in favour of a new one in North East Wales would help them save more lives. But the campaign to stop the closures highlighted that this would come at the expense of rural lives, with the RRVs considered as the absolute minimum expected to mitigate the move.

However last month, we reported that it was unclear whether this would in fact now happen with Wales Air Ambulance saying it wasn’t their responsibility to provide them.

But Cllr Breeze’s update brings hope that they will be delivered by the Wales NHS.

The JCC is made up of high-level representatives from health boards across Wales and Cllr Breeze said there was total support at the meeting to honour a commitment made back in April 2024 in Recommendation 4 of the proposals to provide additional rapid response vehicles following the closures.

“Continuing with the recommendation was integral to the Judicial Review decision to give the go-ahead for closure of the bases in North and Mid Wales,” Cllr Breeze told us this lunch time.

“As a Welshpool County Councillor, I am still bitterly disappointed that the Mid Wales base will be closing and along with members of the Save Welshpool Air Ambulance Base will continue to fight to ensure that the promise of additional road vehicles will be met.

“I look forward to the JCC’s next meeting in January when a detailed and time-lined proposal will be an agenda item.”

The JCC approved the development of a commissioning proposal for bespoke road-based enhanced and/or critical care services in rural and remote areas in April 2024 and Cllr Breeze said it was “heartening to hear committee members continue that support today”.

“This recommendation was central to one of the judicial review grounds when it was argued that approving Recommendation 1 (the base consolidation) was irrational without knowing the cost and details of Recommendation 4, since it was intended as a mitigation measure for rural and remote communities,” he said.

“Health board bosses today called for a clear timeline to be presented to their next meeting in January and were unanimous in support providing additional RRVs to meet the need in Mid Wales and I welcome that commitment.”