Legal challenge to air ambulance closure

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The group has taken legal action, with support from law firm Watkins and Gunn, to challenge the closure of Air Ambulance bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon.

The legal application not only contests the decision but also seeks to potentially halt any steps taken by health boards to implement the closures.

The campaigners stress the detrimental impact of these changes on emergency response times in the region, calling for the Welsh Government's intervention to retain the operational status of both bases.

Montgomeryshire MS Russell George said:

"The impact of this decision was hugely disappointing for us in Mid Wales.

"The reconfiguration of Air Ambulance Critical Care services in Wales, from a point before any of us had heard of the proposal to close the bases, has been a process filled with bias, misinformation, and misdirection.

"A Judicial Review would allow a judge to re-evaluate the decision-making process and I believe it would bring much needed transparency and objectivity and examine to what extent the process delivered a predetermined outcome.

"Over the years, countless people have benefited from this life-saving service, and they have generously donated to and fundraised for it. I know that we all recognise the vital role that the Air Ambulance service plays in our area. The Welshpool Air Ambulance base should remain in operation.

"I continue to work with others, and on a cross-party basis. The Judicial Review process is complex, but we now wait for further information following the application for judicial review now that it has been issued at the High Court."

The decision to close the Air Ambulance base in Welshpool has faced significant opposition from the public, healthcare providers, and local representatives. The majority of responses to the public consultation opposed the closure, and Powys Teaching Health Board also voted against the proposal.