Assaults on ambulance staff rise 89% in five years

Steve Raven's jaw was broken after he responded to an unconscious patient in a Leominster bar two years ago

An ambulance service said it has seen an "appalling" 89% increase in assaults on its staff over the past five years.

West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said the number of physical assaults on staff rose from 472 in 2019/20 to 640 in 2023/24. Meanwhile, verbal assaults soared from 768 to 1708 over the same period.

The service is highlighting the abuse as part of a campaign to enable staff to work without fear of attack.

"This sort of abuse can have a profound impact on their lives, with some staff never recovering and actually leaving the service," said chief executive Anthony Marsh.

"Given our staff are there to help people in their hour of need, it is appalling," he added.

The service said alcohol was the most prominent inciting factor, followed by drugs and mental health crises.

Assaults on staff members' race and sexuality were increasingly common, it added, and there had also been threats of death and rape made to 999 call assessors.

Steve Raven was one of 608 West Midlands Ambulance Service workers who were physically assaulted between 2021 and 2022

Paramedic Steve Raven was attacked in Leominster, Herefordshire, in March 2022. A male patient became aggressive and punched him, leaving him with a broken jaw.

His assailant was jailed and Mr Raven has since returned to work, but said the attack left him traumatised.

"I am still medicated for anxiety and attend counselling," he said. "At the time I thought I was going to die.

"I was there to be helpful and he ended up putting me in hospital... Every day to go to work is always a tough thing to do, but I still want to do my job."

Mr Marsh called for public support to make such abuse "unacceptable".

"Equally, we need the support of the courts to make it absolutely clear that such abuse will not be accepted and severe punishments will be handed down to those who attack our staff," he added.

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives is highlighting the impact of abuse on the everyday lives of staff as part of a "work without fear" campaign.

Managing director Anna Parry said it was a sad fact ambulance workers faced "the very real possibility of violence, aggression and abuse" every day.