Dramatic rise in attacks on ambulance staff

There are warnings that ambulance staff in our region are facing serious injury or even death following a dramatic rise in the number of assaults they've suffered.

ITV News can reveal attacks on ambulance staff have doubled in the last five years, with the South Western Ambulance Service losing more crews night after night:

One paramedic almost paid for her job with her life when she and a colleague were called to help an unconscious man.

Karen Lott has answered hundreds of emergency calls over an eight-year career but one callout, in particular, has left her completely shaken:

She says it's made her question whether she wants to stay in the job. The abuse, she believes, is getting a lot worse.

Karen and her colleagues say only when public appreciation of the job they do improves, will their career be one they can feel safe in once again.