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2 months ago
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Attacks on London Ambulance Service staff have hit an all-time high after over 2,000 assaults were reported last year. The figures come after the service said an average of seven ambulance workers in the capital were abused every day.
UK Ambulance service and NHS data obtained by Legal Expert showed that there were 8,177 incidents of physical and verbal abuse against London Ambulance Service (LAS) staff between April 2019 and April 2024. This included 3,170 cases of physical assault and 2,008 examples of verbal or other non-physical assaults.
The 2023/24 financial year accounted for the greatest number of assaults, totalling 2,159 instances. It was added that the highest number of incidents occurred at patients' homes, with 772 cases being recorded in the last year. Anna Parry, managing director of Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, said: "These new figures highlight the upsetting fact that ambulance employees face the very real possibility of being subject to violence or abuse each time they start a shift."
She added: "This can have a significant and lasting impact on wellbeing and sometimes even lead to people leaving the ambulance service."
LAS said in January this year that seven ambulance workers in London were abused a day on average. The service added that it had seen the highest rate of attacks on crews ever, with such incidents increasing by over 10 per cent in the past year.
LAS Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles told MyLondon: "We encourage anyone who is abused at work to come forward and there is a team to support them. This level of violence is shocking and unacceptable and we will continue to pursue prosecutions and strong penalties for those who assault our people."
He added: "These figures illustrate the very real threat staff in the ambulance sector face when trying to care for people. Not only is violence and abuse devastating for the victims, but there is a wider impact on communities when that person needs time off to recover and is away from the front line."
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