CALLS have made to improve ambulance cover in Meirionnydd.

Powys county councillors Elwyn Vaughan and Bryn Davies say more investment is needed and they are particularly concerned about the situation in Machynlleth, Tywyn, Bala and Dolgellau.

Jean Stratton from Tywyn, who has campaigned for increased ambulance cover since losing husband Frank in September 2020, is backing the councillors’ call for more cover, saying the situation is “terrible”.

Grieving widow Jean told the Cambrian News how she waited 40 minutes for an ambulance when her husband stopped breathing.

Neighbours in Tywyn took turns to give Frank CPR before paramedics arrived. Frank, 72, was taken by air ambulance to Ysbyty Bangor but doctors there told Jean there was nothing they could do and he died that night.

“I don’t understand why it took so long to send someone when I said he wasn’t breathing,” Jean said at the time.

As well as Powys, Cllrs Vaughan and Davies have examined Meirionnydd where they say ambulance stations at Tywyn and Bala are closed at night, and the ambulance based in Dolgellau is often used to deal with issues further north in Gwynedd.

Cllr Vaughan said: “It means most of South Gwynedd and North Powys could have hardly any cover at night – a disgraceful situation.”

Cllrs Vaughan and Davies want 24-hour coverage at all ambulance stations and say Machynlleth’s 24-hour cover must be kept.

A petition is being set up and Plaid Cymru Senedd members they will take their concerns to Welsh Government.

Speaking to the Cambrian News this week, Jean said she supported the councillors’ efforts, but action must be taken.

“There’s still not enough cover in Tywyn. It’s terrible, although we did get a rapid response car in February. I don’t know if it’s still there.”

The ambulance service told the Cambrian News that Tywyn itself does not have a dedicated rapid response vehicle.

Jean’s husband collapsed at home on 17 September last year. She called 999 and when she realised he wasn’t breathing, she raced to get help from neighbours and to get a defibrillator.

However, “it didn’t seem to do anything”, Jean said, and “it took 40 minutes for the ambulance to arrive”.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said then that at the time of this call, “we were experiencing high demand”.

“We will be reaching out to Mrs Stratton to discuss our findings and any lessons identified,” they added.

But Jean still has concerns.

“I’m just waiting for another tragedy to happen,” she said. “I’m really annoyed that this is still an issue.

“Apparently Tywyn has got the highest number of over 70s in the area, according to the local surgery. There’s no work so the youngsters move away and the older generation retire here. If the Powys councillors can do something to improve things, great, but we can’t keep having meetings and talking about this. Things have to actually change.”

The Wales Ambulance Service said they are reviewing resources in the region. Stephen Sheldon, interim ambulance operations manager for Gwynedd and Anglesey, said: “Services in Gwynedd, along with all others in Wales were subject to a recent demand and capacity review to identify the resources we need to meet predicted and future demand. As a result of this, a roster review is now under way to ensure that our resources are best placed to meet that demand.

“This means that all ambulance rosters across Gwynedd, including Bala, Tywyn and Dolgellau, will be subject to a thorough review so that we can be confident that we have the right number of resources working in the right places, at the right time.

“Roster reviews are complex and sensitive, and we are working closely with colleagues, trade union partners and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to navigate this work and reach an agreement which we believe is the most appropriate.”