Compliments are up for ambulance workers despite rise in assaults
New figures show there has been a sharp rise rise in the number of compliments that West Midlands Ambulance Service has received from members of the public in the last two years.
Figures show they received 2,666 letters, emails, web forms and social media posts complimenting staff for their actions. This was also a 29 per-cent rise on the previous year, which saw the trust receive 2,070 messages of thanks. There were 1,783 in 2020-21. In total, the number of compliments received is up 50-per-cent in the last two years.
The figures come just a day after it emerged almost 3,000 reports of violent assaults were committed on staff doing their jobs in the last five years.
Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh said: “The news is quite remarkable when you consider that the last two years, and particularly the last 12 months, have been the toughest faced by our trust ever.
“Long hospital handover delays have meant we have never had such long response times and patients taken to hospital have often had extensive delays before being admitted.
“Despite all of this, more and more members of the public are taking the time to say ‘thank you’ to the staff within West Midlands Ambulance Service.
"What is so pleasing is that the compliments cover all areas of the trust geographically, but also the many different job roles – ambulance staff, those in our control rooms, non-emergency patient transport service staff, community first responders and also staff who work behind the scenes.
"We make sure we identify the staff each time we receive a compliment and pass it on to the individuals so that they can see how much of a difference the work they do is making to people’s lives.
Senior Operations Manager, Nic Gunn, added: “I’m really pleased to see the increase in the number of compliments; they have come in from every area of the region.
“The staff are currently working in difficult circumstances due to the current pressures in the NHS, so it’s really pleasing to see that patients are taking time out after having potentially the worst day of their life to come and thank us for what we’ve done – it is deeply humbling that so many people are prepared to do so."
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