Potential legal challenge to Air Ambulance decision

A campaign has been launched to legally challenge the decision taken by the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (JCC) to close the Welshpool and Caernarfon Air Ambulance bases in favor of a centralised base in north east Wales.

The decision, which was made last week, has sparked outrage among campaigners who believe that closing the two bases will have a detrimental impact on the communities they serve.

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The Joint Commissioning Committee argues that the centralisation of services will ultimately save lives, but the campaign group has announced that they are in the early stages of seeking legal advice in order to launch a judicial review.

In a statement released by the campaign group, they expressed their disappointment with the decision and their resolve to challenge it through legal means. They said:

"With a heavy heart, we agreed that the most appropriate course of action now is to begin the process of seeking a Judicial Review. This is a complex and potentially costly process, and we have already begun to seek professional advice on the first stages of that journey."

"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 we believe it would bring much needed transparency and objectivity and examine to what extent the process delivered a predetermined outcome."

"There will be phases during this process that will require us to raise significant extra sums of money in order to pay the costs, and we hope that supporters of the campaigns to retain and enhance Critical Care services where they are so desperately needed will help us with that, as they have done to-date."

"The fact that we will be asking for any money at all is something that really saddens us."

"However, without a formal review of this process, we know that people and communities in Mid and North West Wales will lose timely access to this essential service when they need it most, and we are left with little other option."

"We do not need any additional funds yet, as we are receiving preliminary advice through the generosity of those giving it. When the time comes to crowdfund, we will put a call out. In the meantime, if you feel that you have skills, knowledge or information that would be useful in these next steps, please do get in touch."