English: Diolch, Llywydd, and very many thanks for allowing me to reply to this opposition debate. I'd like to begin by placing on record that I recognise the invaluable partnership between the Wales Air Ambulance Charity and Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service Cymru, known as EMRTS, in saving lives and in optimising outcomes in Wales. The air ambulance service in Wales is making a huge difference across Wales. An evaluation of the service between 2015 and 2020 has highlighted an increased chance of survival, with a significant 37 per cent reduction in mortality after 30 days for patients with blunt trauma. Sixty-three per cent of patients had treatments at the scene of their incidents that previously they could only have had within a hospital. Forty-two per cent of patients bypassed local hospitals to be taken directly to specialist care, saving time for the patient and extras resources for the NHS. And 12 new consultants have been recruited into Wales, due to the attraction of working with Wales air ambulance. Now, I'm aware that there has been confusion around the nature of service delivered by EMRTS in collaboration with the charity. To clarify, as Russell explained, the EMRTS team is employed by NHS Wales, which pays for EMRTS staff and medical equipment. This part of the service is commissioned by the emergency ambulance services committee, which is a joint committee of all the health boards in Wales. The charity provides the helicopters, the air bases, the rapid response vehicles, pilots, fuel and engineers. Now, EMRTS works with the charity to provide on-scene specialist critical care services to treat people with a life or limb-threatening injury that could lead to death or disability. On average, EMRTS responds within 50 minutes by air or 40 minutes by road. This is a highly specialist critical care service, not a substitute for emergency ambulance services. It's not a first-response service and, as Mabon explained, it takes the emergency department out to the patient. Current service provision has four teams based at, as we've heard, Welshpool, Caernarfon, Llanelli and Cardiff. That happens during the day, with access to helicopters and rapid response vehicles. But, at night, there's one team, and that's based at Cardiff, with access to a helicopter and a rapid response vehicle. On average, 1,100 patient calls are reviewed by the EMRTS critical care hub each day. One hundred and forty of those calls are assessed in more detail, and approximately 13 will be assessed as suitable for an EMRTS response. But, under the current service model, only 10 patients receive an EMRTS response per day. So, there is therefore an opportunity for this specialist service to treat more patients every day in Wales. Now, the charity, EMRTS team and the emergency ambulance services committee are keen to increase the number of people seen, if possible, to ensure patients who need it can have access to this specialist service, no matter where they live in Wales or when they need it. I have no doubt every Member in this Chamber shares the aspiration to save more lives and to ensure EMRTS and the charity can treat more patients. As I stated previously, there are four highly skilled teams in four bases covering the whole of Wales, but some are busier than others.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd, a diolch yn fawr am adael imi ymateb i'r ddadl wrthblaid hon. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy gofnodi fy mod yn cydnabod y bartneriaeth amhrisiadwy rhwng Elusen Ambiwlans Awyr Cymru a Gwasanaeth Adalw a Throsglwyddo Meddygol Brys Cymru, a elwir yn EMRTS, yn achub bywydau a gwella canlyniadau yng Nghymru. Mae'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans awyr yng Nghymru yn gwneud gwahaniaeth enfawr ar draws Cymru. Mae gwerthusiad o'r gwasanaeth rhwng 2015 a 2020 wedi nodi mwy o obaith o oroesi, gyda gostyngiad sylweddol o 37 y cant yn nifer y marwolaethau ar ôl 30 diwrnod i gleifion sy'n cael anaf di-fin. Cafodd 63% o gleifion driniaethau yn y fan a'r lle na allent fod wedi'u cael heblaw mewn ysbyty cyn hynny. Cafodd 42% o gleifion eu cludo'n syth at ofal arbenigol yn lle ysbytai lleol, gan arbed amser i'r claf ac adnoddau ychwanegol i'r GIG. Ac mae 12 meddyg ymgynghorol newydd wedi eu recriwtio i Gymru, oherwydd atyniad gweithio gydag ambiwlans awyr Cymru. Nawr, rwy'n ymwybodol bod dryswch wedi bod ynglŷn â natur y gwasanaeth a ddarperir gan EMRTS mewn cydweithrediad â'r elusen. I egluro, fel yr esboniodd Russell, mae tîm EMRTS yn cael ei gyflogi gan GIG Cymru, sy'n talu am staff EMRTS ac offer meddygol. Mae'r rhan hon o'r gwasanaeth yn cael ei chomisiynu gan bwyllgor y gwasanaethau ambiwlans brys, sy'n gyd-bwyllgor i holl fyrddau iechyd Cymru. Mae'r elusen yn darparu'r hofrenyddion, y canolfannau awyr, y cerbydau ymateb cyflym, peilotiaid, tanwydd a pheirianwyr. Nawr, mae EMRTS yn gweithio gyda'r elusen i ddarparu gwasanaethau gofal critigol arbenigol yn y fan a'r lle i drin pobl ag anaf sy'n bygwth bywyd neu aelodau a allai arwain at farwolaeth neu anabledd. Ar gyfartaledd, mae EMRTS yn ymateb o fewn 50 munud drwy'r awyr neu 40 munud ar y ffordd. Mae hwn yn wasanaeth gofal critigol arbenigol iawn, nad yw'n cymryd lle gwasanaethau ambiwlans brys. Nid yw'n wasanaeth ymateb cyntaf ac fel yr eglurodd Mabon, mae'n mynd â'r adran frys allan at y claf. Mae'r ddarpariaeth bresennol yn cynnwys pedwar tîm wedi eu lleoli, fel y clywsom, yn y Trallwng, Caernarfon, Llanelli a Chaerdydd. Mae hynny'n digwydd yn ystod y dydd, gyda mynediad at hofrenyddion a cherbydau ymateb cyflym. Ond yn y nos, ceir un tîm wedi ei leoli yng Nghaerdydd, gyda mynediad at hofrennydd a cherbyd ymateb cyflym. Ar gyfartaledd, caiff 1,100 o alwadau cleifion eu hadolygu gan ganolfan gofal critigol EMRTS bob dydd. Caiff 140 o'r galwadau hynny eu hasesu'n fanylach, a bydd tua 13 yn cael eu hasesu fel rhai sy'n addas ar gyfer ymateb EMRTS. Ond o dan y model gwasanaeth presennol, dim ond 10 claf sy'n cael ymateb EMRTS y dydd. Felly, mae cyfle i'r gwasanaeth arbenigol yma drin mwy o gleifion bob dydd yng Nghymru. Nawr, mae'r elusen, y tîm EMRTS a phwyllgor y gwasanaethau ambiwlans brys yn awyddus i gynyddu nifer y bobl sy'n cael eu gweld, os yw'n bosibl, er mwyn sicrhau bod cleifion sydd ei angen yn gallu cael mynediad at y gwasanaeth arbenigol hwn ble bynnag y maent yn byw yng Nghymru a phryd y maent ei angen. Nid oes gennyf unrhyw amheuaeth fod pob Aelod yn y Siambr hon yn rhannu'r dyhead i achub mwy o fywydau ac i sicrhau bod EMRTS a'r elusen yn gallu trin mwy o gleifion. Fel y dywedais eisoes, mae pedwar tîm medrus iawn mewn pedair canolfan i wasanaethu Cymru gyfan, ond mae rhai'n fwy prysur nag eraill.