Wales to have third air ambulance

Almost one in five air ambulance call-outs are in mid Wales

A third air ambulance will be on call in Wales this summer, providing cover in the mid and south-east regions.

The new red helicopter will be based in Powys for three months from the middle of June.

Air ambulance chiefs will assess whether there is a need for it to be based permanently in the county.

Wales' two existing helicopters are based at Swansea and Caernarfon and currently serve the whole country with help from a helicopter in England.

The Air Ambulance Charitable Trust said an aircraft provider had offered it a helicopter for a short period.

Nearly 20% of helicopter call-outs are in mid Wales and remote areas in the regions can be difficult for road ambulances to access.

This is a one-off opportunity that we could not miss Bob Palmer, Air Ambulance Charitable Trust

Bob Palmer, chairman of the trust, said the short-term measure was "very welcome".

"For the months of June, July and August last year, Powys alone had 3,000 emergency calls and around one third of these were life threatening," he said.

"This is a one-off opportunity that we could not miss. We have been offered very favourable rates and specialised training for the paramedics.

"This is an ideal opportunity to assess the need during the summer period whilst the roads are busy with extra traffic and whether we can consider the possibility of basing a permanent helicopter in mid Wales."

Anton van Dellen, director of operations for the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, said 19% of its helicopter calls were in mid Wales.

Serious fracture

Air ambulance chiefs said a recent emergency in mid Wales highlighted how vital the air service was.

A man had fallen off his mountain bike near a farm on Epynt Mountain, near Brecon, and suffered a serious fracture to his arm.

Air ambulance officials said the patient was in danger of losing his arm, but the swift response from the helicopter meant his arm was saved. He was airlifted to Swansea's Morriston Hospital in 16 minutes.

The new service in mid and south-east Wales will be operational on 15 June.