Fears over Llanfyllin ambulance cover

A shake-up in emergency cover is leaving residents on the Shropshire and Welsh border with a "second class ambulance service", it has been claimed.

Councillors in Llanfyllin say they fear the town is losing out because of the new set-up. And those worries have also been echoed by towns and villages throughout the area.

At a meeting last night, councillors voiced concerns that when the town's ambulance was called to assist incidents in Welshpool, Llanfyllin was being left without any ambulance or rapid response vehicle.

Councillor Darren Mayor said: "There is a rapid response vehicle, but it is based in Newtown. If the ambulance is called from Llanfyllin, the rapid response vehicle should then be sent north but it's just not happening.

"It is not being used in the way we were told it was to be used.

"The system has been described to me as a 'second class service' for rural areas."

Concerns about cover in Llanfyllin were raised three years ago when ambulance managers announced a change in how the system operated.

However ambulance chiefs said the changes would not result in a scaled-down service. They said the main aim of the changes was to stop emergency ambulances being tied up by putting in more rapid response and high dependency vehicles.

Wales Ambulance Service spokesman Adam Johnson said today that bosses were keen to meet Llanfyllin councillors in person to discuss their concerns.

Councillor Dilys Gaskill, chairman of Llanymynech Parish Council, said today that ambulance cover in the area was an ongoing concern.

Robert Robinson, Welshpool town clerk, said today he had heard some complaints, but the town council would be discussing the issue in detail at a meeting next week.

By Iain St John