London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – More than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse were reported against London paramedics and ambulance staff last year.
Data issued by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) indicates that 2,159 incidents of abuse were registered in the year up to April 2024. It is a 40 per cent growth on the 1,525 incidents reported in 2022/23, but LAS sources expressed the rise also reflects an advancement in reporting levels for the Service.
What types of abuse are London ambulance staff facing?
Incidents included paramedics being struck with weapons, kicked, punched, sexually attacked and targeted with verbal vitriol. A total of 1,123 happenings of abuse and violence have been registered between April and September this year.
As of the end of September, the LAS had 574 open or pending examinations with the Metropolitan Police relating to happenings of violence, aggressing and abuse against its staff.
Separate data issued by the NHS Staff Survey revealed that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of staff had undergone violence and aggression from a member of the public.
What impact does abuse have on paramedics’ well-being?
Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive of the LAS, said: “Our clinicians and our call handlers come to work day and night to care for others. It is disgraceful that they should face aggression and the shocking scenes in the Ambulance documentary show the profound impact this abuse can have. Our people must be safe to do their jobs without fear.”
How is the LAS addressing staff safety concerns?
The LAS recently served its ambulances with CCTV, audio recording, panic switches and new monitors to help safeguard staff and secure prosecutions against fierce patients. Staff have also been issued body-worn cameras to operate while on duty.
The scale of vitriol faced by London paramedics was stressed in an episode of BBC One’s Ambulance series. In a harrowing setting, ambulance crews are caught reacting in shock to the screams of a colleague being struck by a patient on the open radio.