As the Campaign to save the Welshpool Air Ambulance Base enters a critical phase, Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George, has said there is good reason to feel positive about the outcome of the challenge.
A campaign, which challenges the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee’s controversial plans to centralise air ambulance services, will be heard in a Court hearing this week.
Following an application for judicial review that was issued at the High Court last year, a hearing will take place this Wednesday and Thursday (22nd and 23rd January) in Cardiff.
The application challenged the lawfulness of the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee’s (JCC) decision to adopt recommendations which would see changes to the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, including the permanent closure of Air Ambulance bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon.
The JCC is a commissioning committee made up of the seven health boards across Wales who act collectively to facilitate and manage the healthcare system.
The permanent closure of the Welshpool and Caernarfon Air Ambulance bases, announced last year, has faced widespread opposition from people across mid and north Wales.
Campaigners argue that the reconfiguration will lead to slower response times for critical care in rural areas. The JCC has proposed introducing Rapid Response Vehicles as an alternative, a move campaigners label deeply unsatisfactory and inadequate. They cite a lack of clarity on how the Rapid Vehicle system would function, its funding, and its vulnerability to rural challenges such as extreme weather or road closures.
The hearing will offer an opportunity to scrutinise the JCC’s decision, with legal representation provided by Watkins & Gunn’s Human Rights and Public Law team. Campaigners hope the judicial review will bring transparency and lead to a reversal of the controversial plans.
Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George, has been a part of the campaign team to save the base, and has been asking the Welsh Government to make an intervention. The Welsh Government have said that it is a decision for the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee and the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.
Commenting ahead of the hearing, Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George said:
“This decision has shaken the trust of communities in Wales who rely on the service of the Wales Air Ambulance to attend and treat people at a scene, and ensure people are transferred to receive further critical care treatment in a timely manner. The Air Ambulance is a lifeline for rural Wales, and the closure of the Welshpool base would be a devastating blow.
‘’As a member of the campaign team, we continue to work to challenge the decision. We were encouraged that a judge allowed a case to be heard in a Court hearing. The legal team that that we have been working with will argue that the JCC’s decision lacked transparency, failed to consider the unique needs of rural communities, and challenge the process that led to the decision.
‘’The process lacked transparency, and the proposal to replace air ambulance services with road-based alternatives is both impractical and poorly conceived. One extreme weather event or road closure could have catastrophic consequences for those that need urgent medical attention.
‘’I believe that the proposals to the close the Air Ambulances base in Welshpool were based on flawed information, and the process has been filled with bias, misinformation, and misdirection. The legal team will present this argument.
‘’As a campaign team, we continue to believe that large parts of mid Wales will experience slower response times if the Welshpool base is closed, and at times won’t receive a timely critical care response at all if the proposed changes proceed.
‘’It is of course not possible to say if the legal challenge will be successful. A judge will hear the arguments and make a determination at a later date. Based on the evidence, research, and the work of the campaign team, working alongside the legal team presenting the case, there is good reason to feel positive about the outcome of the challenge.
‘’I have been impressed with the legal firm, Watkins and Gunn, and let’s remember that being allowed the opportunity to present at a hearing demonstrates that a judge considered the case to have merit in the first place.
‘’We in mid Wales are not asking for preferential treatment, we are asking for fairness, the people of mid Wales deserve the same standard of care as those in urban areas.
“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this fight, whether through signing petitions, fundraising, or voicing support for the campaign team. I’d also like to thank the legal team at Watkins & Gunn ahead of the hearing.’’
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