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We've worked in the military and security. Nothing could prepare us for abuse we've faced as paramedicsOne paramedic told of receiving death threats when arriving at a job to help a patient

in needCommentsNewsJonathon Hill News reporter11:48, 29 Jan 2025Updated 18:33, 04 Feb 2025Ian Jones and Gareth Casey, paramedics for the Welsh Ambulance Service, have shared their

experiences of being assaulted and abused while doing their jobs (Image: Welsh Ambulance Service) The Welsh Ambulance Service has revealed its staff members have been assaulted by members of

the public while on shift more than 2,500 times in the last five years. The figure was published following a freedom of information request by Legal Expert, which showed that between 2019

and 2024 2,556 incidents of physical and verbal abuse were recorded by the service.

Of those, 398 were physical assaults, 701 verbal, and 1,457 were recorded as non-physical. In the last year alone ambulance staff were subjected to 308 instances of aggressive and

threatening behaviour and 167 incidents of inappropriate behaviour, the service said.

‌ The news comes as the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) reported there had been 11,817 incidents of violence, aggression and abuse against UK ambulance staff in the six

months to September 2024. They included kicking, slapping, headbutting and ranged from common assault to serious premeditated attacks and death threats. The organisation said at the current

rate it expects incidents to top 20,000 for the first time across the UK's 14 ambulance services.

‌ Jason Killens, AACE chair and chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service University NHS Trust, said: “It is with huge regret that we see the level of violence, aggression and abuse

across all UK ambulance services increasing and that frontline clinical employees as well as call handlers are affected.

"This unacceptable behaviour has a major impact on the health and wellbeing of ambulance people who are simply trying to do their jobs and help save lives. This is why we are making a plea

to the public to ensure our staff are treated with the respect they deserve. We are also asking the judiciary to use their full powers under the Assaults on Emergency Workers Offences Act

2018 legislation to ensure appropriate sentences are handed out consistently to those found guilty of committing these crimes against our workforce.”

Ian Jones and Gareth Casey, who were assaulted by a patient in Burry Port last year and have spoken of their experience(Image: Welsh Ambulance Service)Article continues below Paramedics for

the Welsh Ambulance Service Ian Jones and Gareth Casey have spoken of their experiences of being assaulted while working with a patient at Burry Port in June. The patient then urinated in

the back of the ambulance, they said.

The Sketty-based colleagues were treating a female who was reported to have fallen in the street and hit her head, before she became verbally and physically abusive. Mr Jones, a former RAF

firefighter, said: “She’d already struck out at Gareth during our initial assessment, but got so aggressive on the way to hospital that we had to stop the ambulance and physically restrain

her, for her safety and ours.

“It was the first and only time I’ve pressed the panic strip in the ambulance so that everything could be recorded on CCTV. We called the police, who arrived within minutes, but in the

meantime she threatened to urinate in the back of the ambulance. Unfortunately she made good on that threat. I’m ex-military and have experience of working with adults with challenging

behaviour, but it’s still disappointing every time we find ourselves in these situations."

‌ Mr Casey, who used to work in security prior to joining the ambulance service, said he has been assaulted more times in this job than in his previous. “The patient seemed okay with us

initially but it was like the flick of a switch. The punches didn’t hurt – it was her threats to kill which shocked me more. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my first assault at work.

“Once, I was bitten and had to have blood tests for six months afterwards to make sure I hadn’t picked up HIV or hepatitis. That took its toll mentally, not to mention the strain it put on

my relationship. Often I come home and my nine-year-old boy will ask why I’m covered in bruises. As emergency workers, we should be able to go to work and come home unscathed. I’ve come to

expect it now, but it doesn’t mean it’s right.”

Anna Parry, managing director of AACE, said: “These new figures highlight the upsetting fact that ambulance employees face the very real possibility of being subject to violence or abuse

each time they start a shift. This can have a significant and lasting impact on wellbeing and sometimes even lead to people leaving the ambulance service.” Stay informed on the latest health

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