More than 100 people pack out town hall meeting to voice concerns about air ambulance base future

Welshpool Town Hall hosted two public meetings with representatives from the Wales Air Ambulance on Wednesday evening, to discuss plans for the service's future.

A review of the service is currently taking place, which is looking at future of its air bases in Mid and North Wales.

The meetings follow concern after it was revealed that a plan to close both the Welshpool and Caernarfon airbases, and replace them with one North Wales base, was being looked at.

The meeting was directly addressed by Stephen Harrhy, the chief ambulance services commissioner in Wales, who insisted there was no decision – and said that four options were currently being considered, and assessed against a number of criteria.

There were a number of members of the public who spoke to raise concerns about the potential loss of the Mid Wales airbase, and what that could mean for Mid Wales patients.

One man told of how the air ambulance had saved his own granddaughter when she fractured her skull in a riding accident, while another raised the prospect of the air ambulance alienating the Mid Wales public, and with it a sizeable portion of donations to the charity – a risk Mr Harrhy said the charity was already aware of.

Mr Harrhy said the driver for the review was the service's ability to respond to patients.

He told the audience that currently air ambulances in Wales respond to ten emergencies a day – but that on average, are not able to attend three other cases, every day.

The service currently has four bases – Llanelli, Cardiff, Welshpool and Caernarfon, but only Cardiff offers night-time cover.

An agreement has been secured for new aircraft from next January, meaning all four Wales Air Ambulance helicopters will be able to operate at night.

Mr Harrhy said that the four options being considered are to 'do nothing' – adding: "We can do that, we still miss three a day on average, but it is an option and we need to consider that."

The second option is to keep the same bases and look at operating hours, the third is close Welshpool and Caernarfon and operate more helicopters and staff from a new base in North Wales, while a fourth is to keep the bases as they are, and put a rapid response vehicle in North Wales.

Responding to the presentation, Welshpool Councillor, Graham Breeze, said: "We are mainly Welshpool people here, or people from the Welshpool area. This is our home and we have welcomed the Wales Air Ambulance into our home for many, many years and many of us in this time have supported the Wales Air Ambulance financially or with other means for many years and we are concerned how things are going to move forward."

He added: "I want some kind of assurance that people of Welshpool, and around Mid Wales and the whole of Powys, are not going to be disadvantaged by any changes that take place, and that is all we are concerned about."

Welshpool Councillor Phil Pritchard told Mr Harrhy he was "despondent" at what he was seeing, adding: "I think the big mistake, it is always the same mistake, is to look after the M4 and the A55 corridors and to hell with what goes on in the middle, and that is what is happening."

He said: "It is not going to work the way you are talking and I make no bones about it, you are going to fail."

He added: "I have done the Wales Air Ambulance lottery ever since it started and if this happens I will not pay another penny."

Annette Rushton quizzed Mr Harrhy on where the air ambulance was struggling to reach patients.

She said: "I am thinking about the three un-served people a day, that is 21 people a week who are not getting the help they need. Are there any statistics that show where those people are?"

Mr Harrhy replied: "At the moment I have a gut reaction. The first is I think if I have one aircraft available at night you are probably missing patients after 8pm at night in Mid and North Wales, so I think there are people in Mid and North Wales missing out at the moment."

Mark Michaels of Montgomery said: "My concern is your measure of equity – we don't want equity of access we want equity of outcome."

John Robinson said that by adding three helicopters that can operate past 8pm to the other bases, the charity would solve its issues in reaching people.

Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen also asked for the review to assess the impact on the bordering community in Shropshire, highlighting the way the current service also helps patients in England when required.