Ambulance staff attacks nearly double with alcohol described as 'prominent factor'
Ambulance staff shouldn't have to fear being attacked, a chief has said after figures revealed the number of incidents in the region has nearly doubled over the last five years.
New data shows the number of incidents has rocketed from 887 in 2016 to 1,671 within the last year, an increase of 88 per cent with alcohol said to be a "prominent factor".
The shocking statistics have prompted West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh to call for ambulance staff to be treated with respect.
Body-worn cameras have been rolled out to frontline medics, and a trial of crews wearing stab vests has been launched in the region to help keep staff safe.
Mr Marsh said: "My staff deserve to be treated with respect and shouldn’t face a fear of attack whilst helping others. I have nothing but admiration for the brave staff taking part in the campaign in order to raise awareness of the dangers they and other emergency service workers face on a daily basis."
Mr Marsh's comments come as part of the Association Ambulance Chief Executives' new Work Without Fear campaign, which is highlighting the increased number of attacks and abuse aimed at ambulance staff
The association says 32 ambulance staff were attacked or abused every day last year, totalling 11,749 staff, with the number of incidents up by more than 4,000 over the last five years.
Attacks included kicking, slapping, head-butting and verbal abuse, and ranged from common assault to serious attacks involving knives and weapons.
Alcohol has been named the most prominent factor in assaults, followed by drugs and mental health episodes, whilst race and sexuality have also increased as exacerbating factors in the assaults.
Backed by NHS England, the campaign aims to highlight the "profound" impact of this abuse on the everyday lives of ambulance staff and encourage those who might commit these offences to have respect for the people who respond to help them, their friends and their families, when they need it most.
The campaign will feature the likes of Deena Evans from Willenhall and Michael Hipgrave from Telford who were stabbed whilst trying to help a man at his home in Wolverhampton during the pandemic.
Martyn Smith attacked the ambulance workers with two large kitchen knives after they entered his home in Stephens Close, Ashmore Park, on July 6, 2020, after concerns were raised for his welfare.
The 53-year-old stabbed Miss Evans in the left side of her chest before knifing Mr Hipgrave in his lower back after he moved to protect his colleague. Smith, who pleaded guilty to two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after initially denying the attack, was jailed for nine years in July last year.
Reena Farrington, joint staffside lead for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "I welcome this national campaign which outlines a growing problem amongst ambulance workers.
"It is extremely disturbing that some staff report that receiving abuse is almost part and parcel of doing the job; in no other section of our society would this be deemed acceptable, yet that is what some people think is ok for ambulance staff.
"My colleagues work so hard to try and provide care and compassion at some of the most difficult times in our patients’ lives; they invest their skills and life in doing the right thing yet this is the thanks they get from some patients or their family and friends. It has to stop and stop now. I can only hope that the campaign will shine a bright light on this appalling behaviour and that everyone will work with us to stamp it out.”
Meanwhile call assessors from the service have shared examples of the vile verbal abuse they have received whilst doing their job – with staff being branded murderers and others being sworn at.
"The caller started giving me abuse on the call and said he'd make my dad watch him sexually assault me," one worker said. Another said: "The caller said that if his family member died it would be my fault and called me horrific names."
"I've been called a b**** and told that if I don't help, I'll be a murderer," a call handler said. Another said callers had sworn and threatened to physically assault them and their family, whilst another revealed: "A caller told me that he hoped my baby died."
The public have been called on to show their support for the new campaign by using #WorkWithoutFear on social media and by visiting aace.org.uk/vaa to view films about some of those affected.
West Midlands Ambulance Service is one of the country's largest ambulance services, serving Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, as well as the West Midlands region.
