Campaigners fighting to save Wales Air Ambulance bases at Caernarfon in Gwynedd and Welshpool in Powys have vowed to go on, despite losing their appeal against the decision at the High Court last Thursday (19 June)

The Wales Air Ambulance charity want to close both bases in favour of merging them elsewhere in north Wales, and plan to introduce rapid response vehicles to boost coverage on the ground.

The NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (JCC), a group made up from the seven health boards in Wales, approved the reorganisation of its bases in April 2024, but the plans were met with fierce opposition from members of the public and local politicians.

Campaign groups formed in both of the affected counties, and members of the ‘Save Welshpool Air Ambulance Base’ and ‘Save Caernarfon Air Ambulance’ groups fought hard against the decision.

They said closing the bases at Caernarfon and Welshpool and merging them into one new site would leave places like Gwynedd and the surrounding areas without adequate cover.

Rapid response vehicles left in their place would not reach casualties as fast as the air ambulance, they added, and this would result in a rise in fatalities in north and mid Wales.

Last July the campaign groups confirmed that an application for a judicial review into the decision had been issued to the High Court, and last October, they received the news that they had won the right to a full hearing in the High Court.

Campaigners were delighted when the High Court announced that a hearing would take place on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 January at Cardiff Crown Court.

At the end of the second day Justice Turner consulted with legal teams, and announced that the decision would be delayed from that day to another hearing on Friday, 7 February.

However, the decision on whether to overturn plans to close the Wales Air Ambulance bases was delayed for a second time.

Campaigners have been waiting patiently for over four months until last Thursday, 19 June, when their appeal was rejected.

The campaigners, who put on a united front to become The Save Welshpool & Caernarfon Air Ambulance Bases Group said: “The group is extremely disappointed with the decision announced by Mr Justice Turner but this is not the end and we will meet urgently to discuss an appeal process.”

The Wales Air Ambulance, however, welcomed the judge’s decision to allow the closures to go ahead, and the charity’s Chief Executive, Dr Sue Barnes, thanked people “for the incredible passion” they have for the charity.

“I offer you my heartfelt reassurance that nobody is losing a service,” she added.

“This development is very much about improving the service and not removing it.”

Dr Barnes believes changing the service in the way they have proposed means they “will be able to save more lives”, but campaigners against the closures maintain the opposite is true and lives will be lost as a result of these changes.

When making his judgement, the Honourable Mr Justice Turner said: "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."

Responding to the judgement, Gwynedd’s Dwyfor Meirionnydd politicians Mabon ap Gwynfor MS and Liz Saville Roberts MP said: “This is bitterly disappointing news and not the outcome campaigners had hoped for.

“Securing a judicial review was no easy task in itself and was testament to the resolve of all those across north and mid Wales involved in the campaign to safeguard a service that is dear to us all.

“We remain unconvinced that the communities most at risk from these closures, such as Pen Llŷn, Eifionydd, Meirionnydd and Maldwyn, won’t be left with a slow-track and substandard service.

“Whilst we acknowledge the judge’s decision, we remain steadfast in our view that both Caernarfon and Welshpool Air Ambulance bases should be retained as operational sites for the helicopters.

“Today’s ruling will bring no comfort to the communities we represent and to those rural areas most at risk from these base closures. The Welsh government and health authorities nonetheless still have time to heed the strength of feeling and reverse this decision, which will otherwise result in worse health outcomes for people living in rural north and mid Wales.”

Arfon MS Sian Gwenllian said: “This is a deeply disappointing and disheartening outcome for the communities of north and mid Wales. The closure of the Caernarfon and Welshpool bases will leave rural areas more vulnerable, and I fear lives could be put at risk.

“I have consistently said that decisions about our emergency services must be based on the needs of our communities, not distant data models. People here deserve better.”

Montgomeryshire MS Russell George agreed. He 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.

“Despite assurances from the charity and Welsh Government Ministers that these changes would not result in a poorer service, we know this is not the case. Evidence presented during the hearing revealed that 40 communities, many of them in mid Wales, will experience slower response times as a result of this decision.

“As a campaign team, we will be meeting to discuss the next steps and a potential appeal.”

The Save Welshpool & Caernarfon Air Ambulance Bases Group said: “The group is extremely disappointed with the decision announced by Mr Justice Turner but this is not the end and we will meet urgently to discuss an appeal process.

“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 were happy as a group to give the claim our full backing.

“While we are satisfied that Mr Justice Turner listened to all the arguments during three days of the Judicial Review hearing in Cardiff for and against the closure of the Mid and North Wales bases we are far from happy with the decision announced.

“From the outset we challenged the facts and reasons for change in many areas and why the charity finds it acceptable that 40 communities will receive a slower service and why it is OK to accept an increased unmet need in Mid & West Wales.

“We continue to challenge the data and costings and the NHS figures which show that from the Welshpool base alone 477,000 people will now get a slower service.

“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 has been filled with bias, misinformation and misdirection.

“We were not asking for preferential treatment, we were asking for fairness. The people of Mid & West Wales deserve the same standard of care as those in urban areas.

“We will be meeting to discuss our of options of appeal as soon as possible and we look forward to continuing to work with all involved to ensure the safety of residents across Wales and continuing our support for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity.”

The group added: “We would like to register our thanks for the extremely professional way that our claim was presented by Ms Joanne Clements KC and colleagues at Watkins & Gunn. And to thank the many thousands of people who have offered their support for the campaign.”

Dr Sue Barnes, Wales Air Ambulance Charity Chief Executive, responded to the judgement saying: “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 (1 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.”

Directly addressing communities in northern parts of mid and north west Wales, Dr Barnes said: “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 24 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.”

Former emergency medicine consultant and experienced air ambulance medic, Dr Kyle Jacques, is Chair of the Charity’s Trustees. Evaluating the past three years and looking forward, he said: “We respected the processes of the EMRTS Service Review and the subsequent judicial review, avoiding public commentary. Our wish now is to come together with supporters, partners, community representatives, and political representatives to explain the developments, address misconceptions, and offer reassurance.”

The charity, which has attended over 53,000 missions since 2001, needs to raise £11.2 million every year to operate and maintain its four helicopters and fleet of rapid response vehicles.

Dr Jacques concluded: “Our commitment is, and always will be, to deliver the best possible care, with the resources available to us – wherever and whenever it is needed.

“We exist because of you and with your support, our charity will be there for you and your community – now and always.”

The full Judicial Review judgement can be read at https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/admin/2025/1518. The National Archives Information about the service improvement can be found at https://shorturl.at/jIudC.

Delivering more information about the Wales Air Ambulance charity, they said: “The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and early recovery.

“It is delivered via third-sector and public-sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity raises the funds to maintain the helicopter and rapid response vehicles. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, a part of NHS Wales, supplies the medics and medical equipment.

“The Wales Air Ambulance is a pan-Wales service. With only four teams covering the whole of the country, it is a scarce and highly specialised resource. Therefore, regardless of where they are based, the dedicated crews will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency lifesaving care.”