NHS ambulance workers who have been attacked while on duty are leading the second phase of a high-profile national campaign to promote respect across the country and enable themselves and colleagues to treat patients safely and without fear of being attacked – as data shows a record 17,114 incidents of violence and abuse registered during the 2023/24 financial year.
This means that every single day last year, a staggering 47 ambulance staff were abused or attacked – two every hour of every day throughout the whole year. This represents an increase of 123% in reported incidents since records began eight years ago.
Phase two of the campaign features several staff from all over the country who have been the victims of assault, including West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Steve Raven who had his jaw broken by a man he was trying to help and Charlotte Miller of London Ambulance Service and Lauren Setchell of South Western Ambulance Service who were both separately sexually assaulted by men they were trying to care for.
The aggression is aimed daily at frontline clinical staff such as paramedics, emergency care assistants, students and volunteers, as well as 999 and 111 call handlers in call centres, regardless of the age or gender of the employee concerned. Alcohol is the most prominent factor in assaults against ambulance staff, followed by drugs and people in mental health crisis. Race and sexuality have also increased as exacerbating factors in these assaults.
This is why the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) – with support from NHS England (NHSE) – is launching the second phase of its national #WorkWithoutFear campaign in July 2024, to highlight the profound impact of this abuse on the everyday lives of ambulance staff and to encourage the minority of people who might commit these offences to have greater respect for the people who are trying to help them, their friends and families when they need it most.
Anna Parry, Managing Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) said:
Unfortunately, it is a sad fact that ambulance workers face the very real possibility of violence, aggression and abuse each time they start a shift. These incidents can have a significant and lasting impact on our people, sometimes even leading them to leave the ambulance service. This is why it is vital that the UK ambulance sector does all it can to help protect its people and support them if they are subjected to assaults.
Our ongoing #WorkWithoutFear campaign is shining a light on this alarming issue and raising awareness of the hugely negative impact of this behaviour on our people.
There is also a considerable amount of work ongoing within ambulance services to help protect our people and minimise the opportunities available for perpetrators to attack and abuse them.
As a result of the escalation in violence and abusive incidents, NHS ambulance services have prioritised the safety of their people and are undertaking several initiatives alongside the #WorkWithoutFear campaign to try and effect behavioural change among those who might carry out these assaults or become abusive, while providing employees with as much support as possible to reduce the incidence of assaults.
This includes:
- Dedicated violence prevention teams established within each NHS ambulance service.
- Body worn video cameras are being piloted and evaluated in all NHS ambulance services
- The establishment of a centrally coordinated violence data set that enables each ambulance service to report the type and frequency of assaults in a more consistent way, giving a greater foundation and better understanding of the prevalence and reasons behind violence and aggression directed at ambulance people
- A new ‘restrictive interventions’ training programme giving ambulance people safer ways to protect themselves and patients in potentially volatile situations
- Counselling and other forms of talking therapy and support for employees who have been subjected to violence and aggression; the sector continues to work hard to find new and innovative ways to provide better post-incident support for its people
In addition, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and the wider ambulance sector continues to be particularly vocal in encouraging the judiciary to use the full powers of the Assaults on Emergency Workers Offences Act 2018 legislation to ensure appropriate sentences for those found guilty of committing crimes against our people.
For more information visit www.aace.org.uk/vaa
