Prison officers from two of the largest prisons in the country swapped the prison wing for the football pitch this week to show their support for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).
In November 2012, ambulance crews were responded to HMP Birmingham after four prison officers were attacked by a prisoner. Two had sustained serious injuries and after being given emergency treatment by ambulance staff, they were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham whilst the two less seriously injured prison officers went to City Hospital for further treatment.
On Monday 13th May Hednesford Town Football Club hosted a charity football match at Keys Park between prison officers from the G4S-managed prisons, HMP Birmingham and HMP Oakwood. The match, which ended in a 3:0 win to HMP Birmingham, raised an impressive £2,000 which has been donated to WMAS to say thank you for the care they gave to the four prison officers.
G4S Director for HMP Birmingham, Pete Small, said: “Prison officers are responsible for looking after some extremely difficult and dangerous offenders. While three of the four employees hurt are back at work, one of our colleagues is still recovering and we look forward to him re-joining us soon.
“This match is our way of showing gratitude to the superb professionalism and care that the crew of West Midlands Ambulance Service showed to our officers that day. Without their quick thinking, the outcome could have been much different for our colleagues with potentially even more serious consequences.”
Nathan Hudson, WMAS’s General Manager for Birmingham, said: “On behalf of the Trust I would like to thank G4S and the Prison Officers Association for their praise and support. Our staff attend 999 calls, often not knowing what they’ll be faced with, to provide emergency life-saving care to patients. When ambulance crews responded to the prison in November, it was their quick thinking, pre-hospital treatment and use of the Regional Trauma Centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham which ensured that the prison officers received the best possible care in their time of need.
“It is very humbling that the prison service has taken the time to raise such a generous donation, the money of which will be going towards the purchase of training equipment for our staff in Birmingham in order to further improve the care we give to patients.”
