Public urged to give one last push to save air ambulance base as bosses give Welshpool thumbs down
Welshpool's Air Ambulance base will close if health bosses follow the latest recommendations from an ongoing review.
The news will come as a bitter blow to Mid Wales residents and campaigners who have been battling to persuade bosses not to abandon their base in Welshpool.
The details are revealed in the papers prepared for the next meeting of the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee (EASC) on January 30.
A report to be delivered at the meeting sets out the results of an 'options appraisal' meeting to rank what health bosses consider the best of the six options put forward for the future of the service.
The two 'strongest' options which were 'shortlisted' as a result of the meeting are both variations of creating a new air base in North Wales – resulting in the closure of the Powys base and the relocation of the service to North Wales.
The options were 'scored' by representatives of Wales' health boards and trusts.
They were rated on a number of factors, such as 'health gain', 'affordability', and 'sustainability' amongst others.
The papers also show those attending were asked to give feedback on the meeting, with some of the anonymised comments saying they would have liked the information further in advance of the meeting – with one saying they did not receive it until the day before the meeting.
However, others said they had been provided with detail in advance which had helped decision-making, with one stating: "Information circulated prior to today made the session much easier to run through."
The feedback also praised the organisation of the meeting, with one response saying: "Good preparation, lots of refreshments."
A third round of consultation is now set to take place – if the EASC agrees at the January 30 meeting.
That consultation will run from February 1 to 29, but will include all six of the options, which include variations that would see Welshpool's Air Ambulance base retained.
Montgomeryshire Senedd member, Russell George, and the constituency's MP, Craig Williams, have both urged the Mid Wales public to produce one last big push to show their feelings during the consultation.
Mr George said: "Papers that have become public this week show us that despite six options remaining, the two that have been identified as the strongest options would see the Welshpool base close.
"Throughout this long and turbulent process, the public’s view has been overwhelmingly united towards preserving the current arrangements.
"We need a powerful show of support to keep the Welshpool base open, The final consultation will run between February 1 and 29. I will keep working with Craig Williams MP and other local campaigners.
"Retaining Welshpool and Caernarfon’s bases is the best option for a reliable air ambulance service to serve the people across Mid and North Wales."
Mr Williams added: "The Papers that have now been published ahead of a meeting next week of the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee, contain concerning news for the campaign to keep the Welshpool's Air Ambulance base open for the long term.
"It is clear to me that closing the Welshpool bases in favour of a single North Wales base would have a significant detrimental effect on the ability of the Wales Air Ambulance service to operate as effectively as it does now to large areas of Mid Wales.
"I hope that residents make their voices heard and that decision makers listens to the thousands of residents across Mid Wales that love and appreciate the Air Ambulance service."
