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Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service Update

5 February 2026
 
An update on the ongoing work to review and improve the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS), following recent discussions at the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC) – January 2026.

At the last meeting in November 2025, the Joint Committee received an update on EMRTS after the conclusion of the Judicial Review. With the legal process now complete, the Committee agreed to restart work on Recommendation 4, which focuses on ensuring that emergency ambulance services best meet the needs of communities across Wales - particularly remote rural and coastal areas.

At the most recent Joint Committee meeting on 27 January 2026 , Committee Members reviewed progress and agreed the next steps.

 

Work has progressed in two key areas since the last Joint Committee meeting:

  1. Reviewing Rural Emergency Ambulance Response Models

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) is carrying out a detailed review of how ambulance services operate in rural areas.

An ambulance response model is simply the system used to decide:

how urgent a 999 call is,

what type of help should be sent, and

how quickly that help needs to arrive.

This ensures that the most seriously ill or injured people are prioritised and get the fastest, most appropriate response.

 

The review will help shape updated proposals for Recommendation 4, including:

  • How the ambulance service can continue to meet the needs of rural populations, and

  • How service models should align with the new National Ambulance Performance Framework, which now focuses on patient outcomes and clinical need rather than solely on response times.

This work will be central to developing a refreshed proposal for Recommendation 4 which will be considered as part of the NWJCC IMTP submission in March 2026

 

  1. Wales Air Ambulance Charity - Transition and Timeline Planning

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity - responsible for aircraft, pilots, and base facilities - is developing transition plans linked to the future of its current bases at Caernarfon and Welshpool.

To maintain continuity of service, options such as temporary lease extensions for the existing bases are being explored.

While final timelines cannot yet be confirmed due to ongoing commercial discussions, the Joint Committee expects to receive further information from the Charity in February 2026, after which public updates will be provided.

 

Joint Committee Members have reaffirmed their commitment to transparency and to ensuring community voices continue to shape the work ahead.  They stressed that no final decisions will be made on Recommendation 4 until more detail is available on future air ambulance base arrangements, and updated proposals will be incorporated into the NWJCC’s Integrated Medium-Term Plan (IMTP) for 2026-29.

Communication and engagement with the public, stakeholders, community groups, and service users will also remain at the centre of this work.

A recording of the Joint Committee meeting held on 27 January 2026 is available here and further clarity on timelines for future EMRTS arrangements is expected in February 2026.

All updates and supporting information reported to the Joint Committee will continue to be published on the NWJCC website .