Ambulance Staff are not employed to be hit, punched, threatened, abused or assaulted!
Let everyone be clear: IT IS NOT PART OF THE JOB!
Ambulance Staff do not have to ‘grin and bear it’!
It is not in our Contract of Employment, nor is it in the Agenda for Change National Handbook!
Ambulance Staff shouldn’t have to worry that every time they respond to a 999 call there is a potential for violence and them to be assaulted.
However, it does happen. Ambulance work, by its very nature, puts staff at risk.
Ambulance Staff, as far as they can be, are always aware of danger. Experienced staff don’t only have eyes in the back of their head, but have eyes growing out of their ears, hands and feet! The problem is, as even the multi-eyed staff will tell you, is that you just don’t know who it is that will use violence against you.
Instead of helping and treating the patient, ambulance staff sometimes end up defending themselves against being assaulted by the patient, or bystander, or family member, or passer-by, or all four!
It is one part of the job that the majority of the public never see, or even hear about.
Medical dramas on TV rarely show this side of their  glamorous paramedic star as they speed through the streets on their next life-saving mission (deep in thoughts about the ambulance technician they love, who, at that very minute, is racing into a burning house to save the twins….!).
People hit ambulance staff! Hard to believe isn’t it?
Ambulance Services are much better now in prosecuting people who assault staff, although more could be done of course. Training for staff is better, although more has to be done.
Ambulance Staff need to know that they have a right to defend themselves against assault and that their Ambulance Service will support them in the right way.
We have to shake ourselves out of this litigation worry mode and put staff first. We need to understand, agree and act on these three things:
- Assaulting Ambulance Staff is wrong!
- Ambulance Staff properly defending themselves is right!
- Ambulance Services supporting staff is right!
Of course, we have to keep everything in perspective and in proper context. We should not over-react.
Not every patient, of course, assaults ambulance staff, and, not all ambulance staff get assaulted, but, when it happens, even once, unless we have proper support mechanisms in place, ambulance staff, rightly, will lose confidence.Â
We do not want Ambulance Staff to become prize-fighters, but, by the same token, neither do we want them to become sparring partners!
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Since my last Blog Posting ‘The Holy Trinity’ the Pope has retired and a Cardinal has resigned! I just mention that! Make of it as you will!
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 Information of all issues can be found elsewhere on our website.
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Eric Roberts
Branch Secretary.
