Paramedic speaks out after spate of assaults

A paramedic has spoken out about the strain put on staff by attacks, in the wake of a spate of assaults that compromised ambulance cover.

Over recent weekends, a number of incidents have caused problems in the North Down area – but assaults on ambulance staff are an issue across Northern Ireland.

Paramedics are attacked over 400 times every year – that works out at more than one attack daily.

“There have been incidents where both myself and my crew mate have had to exit the vehicle and leave the vehicle and call for the police,” Dax Galloway, who has been a paramedic for 12 years, said.

“We’ve been chased, we’ve had weapons used on us. I’ve been attacked outside the vehicle - even at the hospital, in the grounds.”

He added: “It makes you very fearful of coming into work, nervous.”

At this time of year, healthcare workers are already under huge pressure to keep up with increasing winter demands.

Attacks on ambulance crews that take staff or vehicles out of action only add to the strain.

While that may be out of the control of the health service, a new scheme is aiming to at least tackle another issue putting pressure on the system.

Even when paramedics get a patient to hospital, they can still face lengthy waits before being able to pass them on from their care.

But a new “receiver” role is proving to make a difference.

“What we’ve got is somebody who can take a handover with our triage nurse,” Marc Neil, from the Ulster Hospital, explained.

“And essentially, rather than the ambulance crew then having to wait with the patient until we have a cubicle or a bed to put them in, the ambulance crew can then be released immediately – getting them back out on the road responding to calls, while the receiver can take over looking after the patient in the emergency department.”

Since the scheme has been introduced, ambulance handover times at the Ulster Hospital have significantly reduced.

The hospital estimates that crews are saving six hours each days.

And amid the winter demand, anything that eases the pressure on staff is being welcomed.