Respect staff during busy Jubilee Weekend as assaults rise say Welsh Ambulance Service

Ambulance service workers in Wales say they are worried about the pressure from the Jubilee bank holiday weekend and are urging people to only call upon them if they really need to.

The Welsh Ambulance Service is also calling on the public to treat staff with respect as assaults towards them continue to rise. Andy Davies, a paramedic in Llangefni, Anglesey, was left with a dislocated shoulder when he was assaulted by a patient last June.

"The patient was becoming verbally aggressive to the point where we actually called for police back-up.

"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."

The following figures show the increase of monthly average assaults on emergency workers, year-on-year, by 4.9%

The ambulance service says the top five most common types of assault on staff were kicking, spitting, verbal abuse, punching and shoving.

In the six-month reporting period, almost half of emergency worker assaults happened in South East Wales; Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend were 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.

The service says offenders aged 26-35 account for the highest portion of offending (21.9 per cent), and alcohol intoxication continues to apply to a third of incidents.

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.

"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."

Meanwhile the service is also reminding people to use the NHS 111 Wales symptom checker as a fist port of call, with a very busy period expected.

Judith Bryce, Assistant Director of Operations at the service has said she wants people to enjoy the weekend but to stay safe in doing so.

"We always see an uplift in demand as people take advantage of the long weekend, and this weekend is expected to be no different.

"More people are out and about socialising with family and friends, and this can lead to more people becoming ill or suffering injuries and requiring medical attention.

"While there are plans in place to deal with the increase in demand, we only have a limited number of crews and vehicles available which means that we need to prioritise those sickest patients first.

"It also means that people not facing a serious or life-threatening emergency could wait longer for a response or be asked to seek alternatives to an ambulance response."

There are set to be hundreds of events happening across the UK to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The Welsh Ambulance Service says it's putting extra resources in place on the road and in control rooms so that it can support as many patients as possible.

"We're also working with partners on a number of multi-agency initiatives to mitigate demand, including alcohol treatment centres in Cardiff and Swansea to offset the number of people needing to attend the Emergency Department presenting with alcohol intoxication," Judith Bryce added.

"Community First Responders will assist us not only by responding to calls in their local area, but by providing administrative support to colleagues in the Trust's control rooms.

"We're working hard behind the scenes to get us into the best place possible, but the public has a role to play too.

"Your GP surgery may be closed and your usual pharmacy may be closed or have altered opening hours, so check with them in plenty of time so you're aware of any changes.

"Please also ensure you have all the medicines you need before the Bank Holiday, be it everyday medication like paracetamol or cough remedies, or getting your prescription filled.

"If you need advice about medication or prescriptions during any out-of-hours period, a pharmacist should be your first port of call.

"If your usual pharmacy is closed, search for an open pharmacy near you on the NHS 111 Wales website.

"Help us protect our precious resources for those who need us most."

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