The Golden Hour can't be the privilege of urban areas politicians warn in Wales Air Ambulance debate

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00:00No district general hospital, no A&E departments and minor injury units operating with limiting hours

00:06and ambulance consistently dragged out of our communities to cover shortages elsewhere in Wales.

00:12As a direct result, people I know in my constituency and across Mid Wales have lost their lives

00:17and this has caused deep trauma for their families.

00:21Against this backdrop, the decision to close the Welsh Pullier ambulance base is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous.

00:28Response times are already unacceptable and will only get worse.

00:32Communities across Mid and North West Wales will experience slower emergency interventions

00:37yet the Cabinet Secretary continues to offer reassurances that simply do not reflect the lived experiences of people we represent.

00:46The government intervenes and the people of Mid Wales don't buy the spin that some are peddling

00:52that this is going to be a better service for them. It's not.

00:56Paris Health Board and Betsy Goodwolda Health Board both voted against and do not support the decision

01:04to close these key strategic bases and it's not supported by not only the two health boards

01:10but by tens of thousands of people and clinicians also at the bases.

01:14And it also has cross-party support and I thank Mabinap Gwynvall and James Evans and others across party as well

01:21for their commitment to save and retain these two bases.

01:26Powis does not have a District General Hospital which is precisely why I and Powis residents feel so passionate

01:33about retaining the Air Ambulance Service.

01:36If people are receiving the service now, they should continue to receive the service in the future.

01:44That is what was the key principle of the so-called consultation.

01:51That clearly is not going to happen if the two bases move...

01:55That they would provide rapid response vehicles and provide those new services for Mid and North Wales.

02:07So in the Cabinet Secretary's response, I want to hear if possible what work this government has done with EMERTS,

02:14which is funded by the government here, to ensure that those vehicles will be provided and will be located in Mid and North West Wales

02:26for people in those areas, that those vehicles will be fully staffed by the specialist staff that we need,

02:34the kind of staff we have in the helicopters, and that they will be funded.

02:39Because that was the pledge that was made, but as we've heard from James Evans already,

02:44there has been no plan put together, no funding has been allocated.

02:50So what's happening here?

02:51Can we have a clear commitment from this government that you are working with EMERTS in order to secure this provision?

02:59That's the pledge we need now.

03:00What is the timetable for that?

03:02It was responsible for this.

03:04Between 2023 and 2024, it was not possible for the service to get to 551 people who needed support in Mid and North Wales

03:18between 8 in the evening and 2 in the morning.

03:21In addition to that, the crew in Cairnarvon, for 199 days, didn't see a single patient.

03:32And also in Welshpool, 163 days over a two-year period.