Ambulance staff: Stop the abuse and violence
Last updated 13:57, Thursday, 20 November 2008
Violence and aggression against ambulance staff costs the NHS £69 million each year.
To combat this, a new Stop Abuse campaign has been launched to show the public that attacks on ambulance staff will not be tolerated.
It has been launched now – the start of the celebratory season.
The campaign aims to cut the number of physical and verbal attacks on staff by working with the police, Pubwatch and the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).
In 2007-2008 there were 234 reported assaults on the trust’s employees. Of these, 67 incidents were reported to the police and 41 sanctions applied to attackers.
At the launch at Lloyds bar on Botchergate, Carlisle, yesterday Linda Snaith, safety practitioner with the NWAS, said: “Alcohol is all too frequently a contributory factor.
“Violence and abusiveness can put a huge strain on our resources and it puts staff at risk.
“When staff are assaulted it can have a long term effect causing emotional stress and have an impact on their work life and relationships at home.”
Paramedic Craig McDougall works on the front line dealing with everyday emergencies and abusive patients.
He said: “There was one time I was called to an incident in a village near Brampton.
“The woman was ill and we needed to get her to hospital but one of her neighbours was being abusive and awkward and kept verbally abusing us.
“We were about to drive away when there was a knock on the door and thinking it was one of the lady’s relatives we opened it. It was the same man again and he started thumping me around the chest. It was quite difficult to get him off.
“In the end the patient, who was in no fit condition, had to tell him to go away.
“The whole incident led to a delay in getting the woman to hospital.”
The Pubwatch scheme helps to reduce drink related crime by banning troublemakers from licensed premises.
Mike Vose, landlord of The King’s Head in Carlisle is also chairman of the Carlisle Pubwatch scheme. He said: “As licensees we want to create a safe environment for people to go out in. We want to make Carlisle a nice place and help improve it.
“Mindless and verbal abuse will not be tolerated.”
Inspector Dave Willets of Cumbria Police said: “We can impose new conditions that impinge on people’s social lives – such as banning them from the pubs and issuing fixed penalty notices.
“It’s true that violence and aggression towards ambulance staff will not stop overnight but we can make sure measures are in place to deter it.”
I wish ambulance staff well in some peoples unreasonable behaviour without such speedy emergency response for peritonitus I would not have moved on from my 1960's teens and that of my very pretty blonde teenage friend hurt in rta whilst stepping out behind a bus without looking and remains wheelchair/hospice bound. THANK YOU again being well aware of such intolerance having undertaken voluntary work with Cumbria Ambulance and BRC in Cumberland Infirmary whose nursing staff face such situations. facing
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The ambulance service, police force & Fire Brigade are the most important people with the most thankless jobs.
How anybody can abuse them verbally or physically is beyond all comprehension to me.
The abusive individuals should be made to do X number of hours' work (unpaid)with the crews they have assulted in order to appreciate just what is involved in every call-out!
Make them wear PINK high viz vests too.
Posted by Yvette on 1 December 2008 kl. 12:46