Ambulance staff face rise in physical and verbal sexual assaults

Growing numbers of frontline ambulance staff are being sexually assaulted at work or having lewd comments made to them, NHS figures reveal.

The number of such incidents involving ambulance workers in England has almost trebled from 52 in 2012-13 to 145 in 2017-18. Figures from eight of the 10 NHS regional ambulance services in England show a total of 662 physical and verbal sexual assaults between April 2012 and February 2018, with the annual number rising year on year over that period.

“The fact that this is happening to our ambulance workers as they try to save lives is particularly sickening,” said Rehana Azam, the national secretary for public services at the GMB union, which represents about 15,000 staff. The union obtained the data under freedom of information legislation.

“These figures show there is a national problem with disgusting attacks on emergency workers and it’s getting worse. These are the most horrific and harrowing cases emergency workers can and do face in the line of duty,” Azam said.

Ambulance staff have described how patients have subjected them to sexual harassment, indecent exposure and sexual assault, leaving them traumatised and fearful.

“I was the victim of a sustained incident which began with verbal and sexual abuse and harassment,” said one ambulance crew member. “My assailant indecently exposed himself, made lewd and derogatory sexual remarks and gestures, grabbed hold of me and twisted my arm, and also kicked out at me and again tried to grab hold of me,.” Alcohol was involved in some of the incidents.

Another said: “I have been sexually assaulted twice and been punched in the side of my face.” A third said they had been “sexually assaulted, verbally threatened with assault [and] fallen on by an aggressive patient whilst in the ambulance.”

Some female paramedics are now reluctant to respond to a call about a male patient if they are working alone. One admitted to being frightened at finding herself in such situations.

The East of England trust reported the most incidents with 238 over the last six years, but it gave the GMB figures for all incidents involving “sexual abuse and assault”, which includes inappropriate sexual comments rather than just sexual assault.

One experienced male paramedic said: “To female members of crew it’s a daily thing. When there is alcohol and a good-looking woman involved, it almost always ends in someone wanting their numbers and trying to grope their breasts and bottoms.

“These figures are probably an underestimate of the real size of the problem because it has become so regular it’s only reported when contact is made, and then some women can’t be bothered because the paperwork is so long and in our trust that kind of paperwork is filled in at the end of shift when it’s more important to go home.”

The figures come as MPs prepare to debate a private member’s bill that would lead to harsher sentences for people who abuse or attack members of the emergency services in the course of their work.

The assaults on emergency workers (offences) bill, sponsored by the Labour MP Chris Bryant, will be heard again in the House of Commons on 27 April. Bryant and the GMB have written to Rory Stewart, the justice minister, asking him to amend the bill to add sexual assaults.

Research last week by the union Unison found that attacks on all types of NHS staff had risen sharply last year.

Martin Flaherty, the managing director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, which represents ambulance trusts, said his organisation “would always encourage its members to prosecute anyone found guilty of any type of attack against ambulance staff to the fullest extent of the law.

“All attacks against staff who are trying to help and care for patients are abhorrent and must be stamped out by whatever means available within the boundaries of the law.”

An NHS England spokesperson said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy to threats, abuse or violence to any NHS staff, including sex assaults on paramedics. This sort of behaviour from patients or members of the public will never be tolerated and should be reported to the police.”