P-06-1274 Stop the removal of the Rapid Response Vehicle for Monmouth

This petition was submitted by Lorraine Allman, having collected 103 signatures online and 3,208 signatures on paper, a total of 3,311 signatures.

Text of Petition:                    

The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust are considering cutting the Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) based at Monmouth ambulance station, leaving just ONE ambulance for the area. This will result in an increase in response times. RRVs were introduced because they can reach critical, isolated, sick, and injured patients quickly, easing pain, suffering, and saving lives. This hasn't changed, and with an increasing population in the area, we need more resources not less.

Additional Information:

The Census data for the area shows a year-on-year increase in population figures in the Monmouth Area.

Data under the Freedom of Information Act to find out how many times the RRV has been used each year has been requested, but we expect that it is in use daily based on community information. My own personal story is a family member suffered a spontaneous blood on the brain 3 years ago in Monmouth. The RRV was first on the scene, and there is no doubt that without it, they wouldn't be alive today.

In March 2012, Stuart Fletcher the then Chair of the Ambulance Trust said in a statement "I believe that they provide a very rapid response which allows immediate life saving first aid to be applied until the arrival of the ambulance."

With the recent downgrading of healthcare services in Monmouthshire such as the A&E services at Nevill Hall, Abergavenny now operating as a minor injuries unit only, we cannot allow any further deterioration of emergency resources in the area.

Status

This petition was considered completed by the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 10/10/2022.

The Committee considered the petition, noting that the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust is clear on the work that has been done in modelling the service within the resources available, and that whilst the petitioners challenge the data used for this work and highlight the risk of the loss of a Rapid Response Vehicle in Monmouthshire, there has been open communication, including a meeting. The Committee concluded that it was unclear what further action could be taken and agreed to close the petition.

Full details of the consideration of this petition by the Committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.

It was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 23/05/2022.

Senedd Constituency and Region

• Monmouth
• South Wales East

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