“Whilst the crew were trying to assess him he became quite agitated. He started by swatting our hands away but then rapidly became very verbally aggressive, very abusive. He assaulted one of the crew members who were on the ambulance, knocking them to the floor causing him an arm injury. He grabbed hold of my shirt. I tried to push him away … at which point he started to punch me to the head.”
This is a paramedic’s graphic description of working on the frontline. Sadly, his experience is not rare, it’s an everyday occurrence.
VIDEO: Watch Paramedic Mike Duggan:
The ‘Under Attack’ campaign highlights the problems faced by operational medics, ambulance bosses and trade union leaders who are now calling for tougher sentences for those people who attack and abuse ambulance staff.
The number of ambulance workers being attacked, verbally abused or threatened while doing their job continues to be a ‘real concern’ with over 200 cases reported last year.
Follow the progress of the campaign on Twitter and Facebook:@officialwmas
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