Coronavirus: Hundreds of violent attacks on ambulance workers during the COVID-19 crisis | UK News

Ambulance workers in the UK have been the target of hundreds of violent attacks during the coronavirus pandemic, including an increase in sexual assaults, new figures have revealed.

An investigation by Sky News found that more than 1,600 physical assaults were recorded against ambulance personnel between January and July as the country fought against the COVID-19 crisis: the equivalent of more than seven attacks a day.

So far this year there have been at least 149 sexual assaults on ambulance workers, as well as an increase in vandal attacks on ambulances and more than 2,000 incidents of verbal abuse against crews, according to data published under the Freedom Act. of information.

Many of the incidents involved weapons including firearms, knives, baseball bats, razor blades and a stun gun, ambulance trusts revealed.

In July, paramedics Deena Evans and Michael Hipgrave were seriously injured after being stabbed during a call to a house in Wolverhampton.

A man will stand trial next year on charges of intentional wounding in the incident.

In another incident, two ambulance workers were treated at the hospital for dislocated thumb, chest and arm injuries after being assaulted while trying to treat a man in Coleshill, Warwickshire, last month.

And in July, a man struck and dumped a paramedic student during a call in Blyth, Northumberland, before a brick was thrown at the ambulance.

Meanwhile, paramedic Brenda Fox and a colleague were attacked by a man in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, last year, and Fox’s daughter shared a photo of her mother’s bruised face.

London Ambulance Service paramedic Caitlyn, who declined to give her last name, told Sky News that she was spit upon after she was called to a man with a head injury in 2018.

“He was very aggressive towards us as a team,” he said.

“He spat at me, which landed on my face and entered my eye.

“It was quite disturbing and traumatic.”

She added: “We always experience aggression and violence, more verbal aggression, that is a daily fact.

“The fact that you face this level of aggression on a daily basis makes you wonder, do I want to put myself in this situation every day?

Clinical care assistant Robert Barlow, who was attacked last year by a man who tried to stab him during a call in the Northeast, told Sky News that he had seen an increase in attacks in recent years.

“I see it a lot more: attacks on crews,” he said.

“It’s not just me, my wife works in the service. It has been attacked and held by the throat.

“It’s getting pretty scary.

“If the trend continues, what will it be like in 10 years?”

Sky News sent freedom of information requests to the 13 UK NHS ambulance services trusts requesting details of the raids on their staff since 2018.

According to their answers:

• A total of 1,604 physical assaults on ambulance workers were recorded between January and July, with a violation rate almost the same as last year but almost 19% higher than in 2018.
• At least 149 sexual assaults against ambulance personnel took place in the same period, with a crime rate increasing by almost 8% in 2019 and 42% in 2018.
• Vandalism attacks against ambulances have also skyrocketed, with at least 45 between January and July, a rate that is almost a quarter (24%) in 2019 and 162% in 2018.
• Guns were involved in 97 assaults or incidents of verbal abuse against ambulance workers in 2020, almost the same rate as in 2019 but an increase of more than 12% in 2018.
• This year there have been a total of 2,086 incidents of verbal abuse against ambulance personnel, an average of almost 10 per day, with an incident rate that increased by 7% in 2019 and 23% in 2018.

The figures do not include the Scottish Ambulance Service, which did not respond to Sky News’ freedom of information request; The West Midlands Ambulance Service, which provided figures for physical assaults and incidents of verbal abuse for financial years, not calendar years, so could not be included; and Yorkshire Ambulance Service, which provided data on assaults and verbal abuse incidents between 2018 and July 2020, but did not disclose how many occurred each year.

Among the other notable findings:

• The London Ambulance Service said staff had faced 355 physical assaults between January and July, using weapons including a knife and a baseball bat to threaten or injure workers in 16 incidents.
• The Northeast Ambulance Service said there have been 114 physical assaults on its workers this year, while three incidents of verbal assault / abuse involved weapons, including a stun gun, a kitchen knife and a razor blade.
• The East Midlands Ambulance Service, which recorded 208 physical attacks on staff, said 37 assaults or incidents of verbal abuse involved weapons, including firearms, knives, razors and scissors.
• The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said weapons used to threaten or attack its personnel since 2018 included a double-barreled shotgun, a crossbow, a Tomahawk ax, a mallet, a crowbar and a pool cue.
• Ambulance services in the North West, North East and East Midlands reported more sexual assaults against their workers between January and July this year than in those regions during all of 2018
• The East of England Ambulance Service recorded 40 sexual assaults against staff between January and July this year, a crime rate that increased 36% in 2019 and 46% in 2018.

A law introduced in 2018 has seen the maximum penalty for common assault on paramedics, police, firefighters and prison officials increased from six months to 12.

The Association of Chief Executives of Ambulances (AACE) said it condemned the “deplorable acts of violence against ambulance personnel and vehicles in the strongest possible terms and will fully support attempts to bring those responsible to justice.”

Anna Parry, AACE Deputy Managing Director, said: “Unfortunately this is happening on a daily basis across the UK and the perpetrators must be properly prosecuted in a concerted and sustained attempt to prevent this from happening.”

Prerana Issar, NHS chief of staff, said the health service “will not tolerate violence towards our colleagues.”

“Anyone who engages in acts of violence or abuse, towards patients or staff, will be reported and treated by the authorities for prosecution,” he added.

A government spokesman said: “The assaults on emergency workers are totally unacceptable.

“The government is working with the NHS and the Crown Prosecution Service to crack down on anyone who abuses healthcare workers and prevents them from doing their life-saving work.”