Following the news that the final report into the future of the Welshpool Air Ambulance base will recommend its closure, James Evans MS, Senedd Member for Brecon and Radnorshire said:
“I am extremely disappointed that the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee will be closing the Air Ambulance base in Welshpool and moving it to North Wales despite continuously raising concerns that it would put my constituents at a disadvantage.
“As a rural area, we don’t have many of the things that people in more densely populated parts of Wales take for granted. I’ve heard horror stories from constituents of ambulance waiting times of up to 24 hours, and ambulances stuck outside A&E departments – in one case for over 25 hours. I’ve also heard many examples of where the Air Ambulance has been called out in agricultural accidents. In our areas where the road network is poor, the Air Ambulance is quite literally the difference between life and death.
“We are yet to hear how the problems created by closing the base will be solved, which is extremely concerning for everyone living in rural Wales.”