London Ambulance Service has said frontline staff facing racist abuse can end phone calls and leave the scene, after a reported an increase in such incidents.
Far-right violence has broken out across UK towns and cities in the wake of a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last Monday, which left three young girls dead.
Black and minority ethnic staff at London Ambulance Service (LAS) have since reported an increase in overt racism and hostility as they responded to health emergencies.
LAS has now strengthened its stance on what frontline staff can do if they experience racial abuse from patients or the public.
“If a call handler is racially abused, they can end the call,” said LAS in a post on X, outlining its approach.
“If our crews are racially abused by a patient they can leave the scene (unless it’s a life-threatening emergency).”
Senior managers have advised all ambulance crews to wear body-worn cameras, to capture racist behaviour so appropriate action can be taken.
LAS acknowledged that some patients display certain behaviours due to mental illness and other conditions, and assured crews will use clinical judgement and empathy to assess situations involving abuse.
It says it is “proud to have staff and volunteers from over 70 countries”. “We stand shoulder to shoulder together with all of the communities we serve during this difficult and troubling time,” it added on X.
LAS’s new guidance comes as health secretary Wes Streeting said people who are racist to NHS staff in health settings “can and should” be turned away from care.
Mr Streeting said the Government “will not tolerate” the continuation of violence seen in towns and cities across England in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings.
Speaking during a visit to the Leeds Cancer Centre on Tuesday, Mr Streeting condemned the “mindless thuggery” seen on streets across Britain over the past week.
In one incident two Filipino nurses were attacked as they travelled to work on Friday evening, to provide emergency cover during unrest in Sunderland.
According to reports, the taxi they were travelling in was pelted with rocks. While the nurses were physically unharmed the Mirror reported they were left “terrified” by the ordeal.
Mr Streeting said the incident had “brought enormous shame on our country”.
Meanwhile there were fears far-right thugs were set to target London and other parts of the UK on Wednesday evening in further disorder.
Some 6,000 riot officers around the country were braced to intervene on a swathe of ‘Enough is Enough’ events, with police monitoring reports of at least 100 possible gatherings - 70 more than previously thought.
The Metropolitan Police has vowed to use "every power, tactic and tool" to protect London.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said on Wednesday the Met had more than 1,300 extra ‘public order’ officers ready to deploy across London, along with specialist units including mounted officers, dog handlers, and intelligence experts.
“We will not tolerate any disorder and will make arrests,” he said.
"We will be using retrospective facial recognition to help officers identify those behind criminal disorder. This technology can be used even when offenders are wearing masks.
"Our thanks goes to Londoners who condemn the hateful and divisive behaviour which is fuelling significant concern among our communities.
“Everyone can play a role by not sharing inflammatory online speculation and giving our officers space to undertake their important duties.”
