Violence against ambulance crews in London has soared by 40 per cent in the past year with an average of two emergency workers kicked, punched or spat at every day, the Standard can reveal.
Londoners were today urged to treat frontline medics "with kindness and respect" as data showed that a further 205 cases of violence were recorded in 2023 compared with the year before.
A total of 728 cases were reported last year, according to the London Ambulance Service.
While many offenders never to go to court on medical grounds, there have been 38 successful prosecutions against abusive patients since April last year. The LAS recently installed recording devices inside its ambulances and gave its paramedics body-worn cameras to help secure criminal convictions.
London's chief paramedic Pauline Cranmer told the Standard: “These shocking figures reveal a very, very sad state of affairs.
“Our ambulance crews and call handlers work tirelessly day in and day out to care for Londoners and treat each patient with respect. Abuse of any form can have a profound impact on our staff and won’t be tolerated.
“On the whole, abusive patients are just a small number of the people our medics see every day, and sometimes violent behaviour arises as a consequence of a medical condition. However, I want to urge the public to treat our staff with kindness and respect while they go about their very busy shifts.”
Last November, the LAS released footage of a paramedic getting pushed out of an ambulance outside the Chelsea and Westminster hospital by an abusive patient.
The paramedic was shown crashing to the ground and landing hard on his elbow as the patient walked straight past him, displaying no reaction. He is said to have verbally abused two members of the ambulance crew and used homophobic language because both men had long hair.
Police arrested the patient after the incident and he has since been convicted and ordered to pay compensation to the paramedic.
The paramedic involved in the incident told the Standard: “I’m glad this went to court because it reminds people this is an unacceptable way to treat us and needs to be stopped.
“We come to work to help people, not for this. I always wear a body-worn camera now and I make sure I’m never alone with some patients who I think might be a risk.”
The LAS has invested £3 million in safety measures in the past two years to deter violence against its staff. Paramedics have been given panic buttons linked to a recording device and new monitors that can help staff see the outside of the vehicle, as well an electronic tracking to help police arrive at the scene more quickly.
Over 70 per cent of staff who experience abuse currently report it to the Service's Violence Reduction Officers.
The LAS last year joined ambulance services across the country to launch a “Work Without Fear” campaign to help create a safer work environment for staff and volunteers.
