00:00 "We have significant concerns that have come across from communities in north and mid Wales
00:07 to ensure that both sites in Welshpool and Carnarvon remain open so that we have an ambulance
00:13 service that reaches all parts of Wales and takes into account the very specific nature
00:19 of some of the most rural parts of Wales."
00:22 The air ambulance saves people's lives and it's not just people on mountain walks who
00:26 found themselves in difficulties, it's people who live in rural areas too. The Welsh Air
00:30 Ambulance is part funded by the NHS and is pivotal to thousands of people all across
00:35 Wales and there is a real risk that a number of helicopter bases could soon be lost.
00:39 "Well the air ambulance charity of course is an independent charity, it's independent
00:44 of government but you're quite right to point out that there is obviously a relationship
00:49 because with Welsh Government in a sense that there's a link with the emergency aspect of
00:56 it and the chair of the East Committee has been absolutely instrumental in terms of ensuring
01:03 that the public has had its voice heard in relation to any proposed changes."
01:09 Hefin Davies wants assurances that the Welsh Government are doing what they can to help
01:13 save the service and believe it's a genuine life or death situation for many people.
01:17 "Of course the NHS pays for the paramedics and the equipment on those air ambulance vehicles
01:26 so it's important Minister that this is ultimately a decision for the Welsh Government and the
01:32 Welsh NHS. I was a little bit concerned when you said there are two options that have now
01:37 come forward because the commissioner has told me and it says so in the documentation
01:42 there are six options that have come forward and two are preferred. Of those two preferred
01:47 options both mean the closure of Carmarthen and Welshpool bases which is entirely unacceptable."
01:54 Eluned Morgan the Health Minister says that no one will lose the service and anyone currently
01:58 covered by the Welsh air ambulance will remain covered. She says that changing the current
02:03 system is more affordable and will provide the same service.
02:06 "If people get the service now they will continue to get it and more people will get
02:11 the service. So those are the two things that were absolutely key in terms of driving any
02:19 proposed changes. I think one of the things that has been suggested is that there could
02:27 be more cars at strategic points. This is something that I heard very clearly in the
02:32 debate that we've had in the past in this chamber. So if for example you have somebody
02:36 at the far end of Penllyn and there's fog and the helicopter can't make it, actually
02:46 the issue is not the helicopter, it's about the strategic positioning of the vehicles."
02:51 The Welsh air ambulance is often seen as a last resort for safety measures for wayward
02:55 walkers but it's much more than that and provides a valuable lifeline for people in rural areas
03:00 all across the country. James B. Jotkins reporting from Wales.
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