Ambulance workers under attack

Ambulance workers under attack

There must be 'zero tolerance' of violence against ambulance workers, the union GMB has said. The union's new analysis of NHS data on assaults shows there were 2,705 assaults on ambulance staff in England in the two years to April 2009. GMB national officer for ambulance services, Justin Bowden, commented: 'Every single day at least three ambulance workers are assaulted whilst doing their jobs. That is as shocking as it is unacceptable. Being attacked at work is not an occupational hazard for ambulance workers and the only way to confront this issue is with zero tolerance.' He added: 'Ambulance workers deserve full protection from their employers and the law.' Detailed figures for the North West of England 'show that there is some way to go before we achieve zero tolerance,' he said, with fewer than half of the reported cases leading to prosecutions. 'In some Trusts there is an automatic recourse to law regarding damage to property but not on attacks on staff. Also in one authority there is a proposal to remove stab-proof vests as a protection to staff. A change of attitude by management is needed on this.' For each of the last two years, there have been over 500 verbal or physical attacks on North West Ambulance Service staff. The union says management has confirmed to GMB representatives that only between 40 and 50 per cent of these attacks result in legal action.

• GMB news release.