Bank holiday plea as emergency worker assaults in Wales continue to rise
With a bank holiday weekend around the corner, emergency workers in Wales are reminding the public to treat them with respect in the face of a continued rise in assaults.The monthly average of emergency worker assaults increased from 203 in 2019 to 237 in 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent.New figures revealed that more than 1,440 assaults were committed in the six-month period between July 2021 and December 2021. The most common types of assault were kicking, spitting, verbal abuse, punching and shoving.
One victim is Joanna Paskell, a paramedic in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. She was assaulted last May by a patient at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales.
The ambulance worker of 25 years said she was left with panic attacks.She said: “It was while we were trying to move the patient from the trolley to a bed that she lashed out and punched me straight in the chest.“I was stunned as it was completely out of the blue, and there had been no indication that she was going to get aggressive.“Although shaken, I thought nothing of it at the time, just taking painkillers for the pain.“It was only as I was getting ready for my next shift that realisation dawned, and I actually had a panic attack.“I subsequently had to take time off work. It took a lot for me to come back, and even now, I’m very cautious around patients.”
Andy Davies, a paramedic in Llangefni, Anglesey, was also assaulted by a patient and left with a dislocated shoulder.“The patient was becoming verbally aggressive to the point where we actually called for police back-up", he recalls. “As I tried to assess him, he threw me to the floor, partially dislocating my left shoulder.“I had to have six weeks of physiotherapy afterwards to help me recover from the injury.“I’m ex-military police so I’m quite good at compartmentalising these things, but it doesn’t mean to say we should accept it.”Ahead of the extended bank holiday weekend, when assaults will typically spike, emergency workers are appealing to the public to treat them with respect.
Jason Killens, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The last couple of years have been a fraught time for all of us, but that’s no excuse to assault an emergency worker, who are people, just like you and I.“With a Bank Holiday weekend comes lots of people enjoying the revelry, and with alcohol consumption usually comes an increase in assaults.“There were 80 verbal attacks alone on our ambulance control room staff in the second half of last year.“We know it’s distressing when you’re waiting for help, but abusing our call handlers is not the answer – if anything, it could potentially delay help.“On the road meanwhile, crews might have no choice but to leave a scene if their safety is compromised, and that’s not helpful for anyone, especially the patient.“The debt of gratitude we owe to our emergency workers has never been greater, so please treat them with respect.”
In the six-month reporting period, almost half of emergency worker assaults took place in South East Wales with Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend being the most prolific local authority areas.For 2021 as a whole, Denbighshire in north Wales had the highest rate of emergency worker assaults at 1.24 per 1,000 population.
21.9% of offenders were aged between 26 - 35 and alcohol intoxication applied to a third of incidents.Twenty three incidents involved the use or threat of use of a weapon, with eight incidents causing an injury to the victim.
Assaults on police officers account for more than two thirds of the total number, with an average of 165 victims each month in 2021, up from 152 in 2020.Pam Kelly, Chief Constable at Gwent Police, said: “Every day, our officers are working to protect and serve local residents and businesses. “Being a victim of hate crime or being assaulted on duty is not acceptable for members of our own community as they go about their job.“We already ask a lot of our officers and staff in the course of their working day as they often deal with situations most of us hope never to encounter. “Working where the threat of verbal or physical assault is an increasing possibility makes the role even more challenging. “We work hard to support any officer who has faced this situation and we will take firm action against those individuals who cause them harm.”May 2021 saw the highest volume of emergency worker assaults with 294 - rising as Covid-19 restrictions were eased across Wales.More than 100 instances are known to be Covid-19-related, for example, where an assault occurred during police attendance for a breach of regulations.Judith Paget, Chief Executive of NHS Wales, said: “Emergency workers provide life-saving and life-changing care every day in often difficult circumstances and deserve to be treated with respect.“Any form of attack on emergency workers is completely unacceptable and can have a significant impact on someone’s mental health and wellbeing.“During the pandemic emergency workers worked tirelessly on the frontline to keep Wales safe and now they deserve to feel safe and appreciated for the great work they do.“We must all work together to reduce their risk of being exposed to violence.”