Caernarfon: Gwynedd air ambulance site could close

Campaigners say closure of the air ambulance site in Caernarfon would hurt rural communities

A second air ambulance base could shut as part of plans to consolidate the service in north Wales, BBC Wales understands.

Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) declined to confirm the closure of Dinas Dinlle base near Caernarfon, Gwynedd.

But the charity's café at the base will shut at the end of October.

Plans to close the site in Welshpool, Powys, have already attracted strong opposition and now a campaign has begun to save Caernarfon.

Wales currently has four air ambulance bases, in Welshpool, Caernarfon, Llanelli and Cardiff.

The proposed reorganisation would see the bases in Welshpool and Caernarfon replaced by a former North Wales Police helicopter base in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, the BBC understands.

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Opponents of the plan said they feared rural areas would lose out.

An online petition to save the Caernarfon site has reached nearly 2,500 signatures.

Campaigner Andy O'Regan claims closure of the base at Caernarfon could cost lives

Andy O'Regan, who started the petition earlier this month, said: "We cannot let this happen".

He said moving the base to Denbighshire would have a "detrimental effect... on the local communities covered".

'Amazing time-critical work'

"We need our base to continue to do the amazing time-critical work they currently do," he said, "as moving the base will add a significant amount of response time and will no doubt cost lives."

But the new base in north Wales would have increased operating hours from 12 to 18 hours a day, the WAA said, resulting in an additional 600 flights a year across Wales.

The reorganisation plans are being considered following an in-depth analysis looking at the most efficient use of existing resources.

Air ambulance volunteer Alun Shorney says the proposed changes could reduce the availability of the service.

Air ambulance volunteer Alun Shorney, from Caernarfon, said the changes could mean if there were two incidents at the same time in north Wales, only one air ambulance would be available.

"This is definitely a loss of or reduction in availability compared to what we have now," he said. "What is needed before taking this huge step is to extend the working hours at the existing bases."

The WAA said the proposal was still at an early stage, but the current analysis suggested the "optimum location would be in central north Wales, in a location with good access to the road system."

Wales Air Ambulance says better road responses in urban parts of north Wales could free helicopter time for rural areas

In response to concerns about remote communities, it said if the plan included improved service in urban areas "through a better road response, this would protect the aircraft for deployment into rural areas".

"We are still evaluating options and a number of locations, including Caernarfon," a spokesperson said. "This will continue... until our NHS colleagues have concluded their governance process given that this is a service and patient demand-led exercise."

Local politicians are calling for an independent review to look at the proposals.