Welshpool's air ambulance base set to close after campaigners lose legal battle
Mid Wales' air ambulance base is set to close after a judge rejected a legal challenge backed by campaigners.
The news will come as a bitter blow to the residents of Mid Wales, who have fought a committed campaign to retain Welshpool's air ambulance base.
They had backed a judicial review of NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee's (JCC) decision to scrap both the Welshpool and Caernarfon air ambulance bases, and replace them with a new base in North Wales - a move met with outrage from many Mid Wales residents.
Hearings on the application took place earlier this year, but now Mr Justice Turner has published his ruling - which looks to have exhausted options to challenge the move.
Detailing the reasons for his judgement, Mr Justice Turner said there were no valid legal grounds to reverse the decision, and added that it was not the court's place to overrule decisions made by organisations set up to decide on health policy.
The judge did however acknowledge the strength of feeling in Mid Wales residents over the issue, accepting there would be disappointment for many.
He wrote: "I understand and readily appreciate the depth of feeling involved and the disappointment that this decision will bring to many people in mid and north Wales.
"However, it is not the function of this court to usurp the decision making function of those to whom Parliament has delegated the responsibility.
"In the absence of valid public law grounds of challenge, the decision of the JCC must stand."
In a statement the Save Welshpool & Caernarfon Air Ambulance Bases Group expressed frustration at the decision and said they would review their next course of action.
They said: "As a group we are extremely disappointed with the decision announced by Mr Justice Turner following the three days judicial review hearing in Cardiff.
"As supporters of the Wales Air Ambulance we were disappointed that this matter had to go as far as the courtroom but were left with very little option when faced with the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee’s (JCC) decision to adopt recommendations which would see changes to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS), including the permanent closure of air ambulance bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon.
"The judicial review claim was put forward by a resident of Mid Wales and we have been working with the legal team presenting the case, to give the claim our full backing.
"We are satisfied that Mr Justice Turner listened to the arguments for and against the closure of the Mid and North Wales bases but are extremely disappointed with his determination.
"From the outset we challenged the data, costings, and information which were being presented as facts.
"Members of the public were originally told that the proposed changes would not lead to a poorer service, but this was not correct. During the hearing we heard that 40 communities would receive a slower response time under the agreed decision.
"We believe that the proposals to close the air ambulance’s bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon were based on flawed information, and that the process had been filled with bias, misinformation and misdirection.
"We were not asking for preferential treatment, we were asking for fairness.
"The people of mid and north Wales deserve the same standard of care as those in urban areas.
"We will now be meeting to discuss the decision and our next course of action, and as a campaign team we will continue to work with all involved to ensure the safety of residents across Wales.
"We would like to register our thanks for the extremely professional way that our claim was presented by Ms Joanne Clements KC and for the work of colleagues at Watkins & Gunn.
"We also thank the many thousands of people who have offered their support throughout the campaign."
Writing on social media, Montgomeryshire's Senedd Member Russell George said: "This is an incredibly disappointing outcome. The proposal to close the Welshpool base was based on flawed information and a process riddled with bias, misinformation, and a lack of transparency.
"As a campaign team, we will be meeting to discuss the next steps and a potential appeal."
The Welsh Air Ambulance has welcomed the decision, saying it will "allow it to save more lives across Wales".
Dr Sue Barnes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity chief executive, said: “We welcome this clear and unequivocal outcome. This service improvement is important as lives are currently under threat. It is vital to address the issues of unmet need, inequity and service underuse.
“The inequity is clear. In 2023 and 2024, we were unable to attend 551 incidents in Mid and North Wales, between 8pm and 2am. Every incident involved real people with very serious and life-threatening conditions.
“Aligned to that, we have resources in Welshpool and Caernarfon that are underused. For example, between November 2023 and October 2024, there were 105 days when our crews in Caernarfon did not see a patient.
"In Welshpool, it was 84 days without patient contact. Compare this with our crews in Dafen (13 days) and Cardiff (one day), you can see the significant underutilisation of our current resources in Caernarfon and Welshpool.
“These contradictory issues exist because, at present, our service is not being delivered in the most effective way."
In a message to the people of Mid Wales, Dr Barnes added: "We want to thank you for the incredible passion you have for the charity.
“I offer you my heartfelt reassurance that nobody is losing a service. This development is very much about improving the service and not removing it. It means that we will be able to save more lives in your community and across Wales.
“Working together, every development we have made over the past twenty-four years has improved our service and that’s our only aim. I genuinely believe that we have an opportunity to deliver an even better service for you, saving more lives."
A spokeswoman for the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee said: “We acknowledge receipt of the court's judgment in relation to the Judicial Review concerning the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) Service Review.
“We are currently taking time to carefully consider the findings of the judgement in full, including any implications for the Joint Committee’s commissioning responsibilities and the wider emergency care system in Wales.
“Our priority throughout this process has been to provide equitable access and the best possible outcomes for patients across Wales, and it has been gratifying to see the passion and dedication to the service that people across the length and breadth of the country have demonstrated.
"Their views, suggestions and input have been invaluable, and provided a rich source of information alongside the clinical and technical evidence which have been considered.
“We will provide a more detailed response once we have fully reviewed the judgement and its implications.”
