New safety campaign for ambulance staff amid rising attacks

The launch of the 'Your Safety, Our Priority' campaign follows 1,455 recorded attacks on staff last year – up 18% on 2022.

Of these incidents, 362 were physical assaults, 522 were verbal in nature, and 571 were instances of non-physical abuse such as aggressive gestures and intimidating behaviour towards staff.

The campaign builds on the #WorkWithoutFear campaign launched in 2022 by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and NHS England, which highlighted the profound impact that abuse has on ambulance staff and volunteers.

The focus of the Trust's new campaign is on what staff can do themselves to safeguard from physical, verbal, or emotional harm - and how the Trust will support them if they do suffer abuse.

The campaign features a range of resources aimed at helping keep staff safe, including case studies, videos, guidance packs, and online Q&A sessions.

The campaign also highlights the importance of using body-worn cameras – which have to be activated by the ambulance worker but can record footage for use in a later prosecution. The cameras were piloted in 2022 and are being rolled out across EEAST, with all staff encouraged to wear them for their protection.

The campaign is being led by the EEAST's Health, Safety and Security specialist Alistair Livingstone. He said: "We see too many incidents where our colleagues are attacked – either physically or verbally – when they are there doing their job in difficult circumstances to help people in their time of need. It is completely unacceptable.

"We're doing all we can to support our staff if they are confronted or physically attacked. In the coming months we're introducing a new training programme for our people to recognise and assess the risk of potentially dangerous situations, and how to get away to safety. We're driving forward the delivery and use of body-worn cameras, which are invaluable for staff if something happens.

"We're reviewing how the Trust manages and responds to internal reports of violence and aggression, so our colleagues can see what action is being taken.

"Finally, we are being clear about how the Trust will support and help our colleagues through any process, including prosecution of those that choose to attack emergency workers, which can be really gruelling for all involved."

Neill Moloney, EEAST Chief Executive, said: "The safety of our staff is our top priority and any form of violence or aggression experienced in the workplace is completely unacceptable. We recognise our people work in dynamic, often unpredictable environments and we cannot eliminate risk of violence and aggression entirely.

"What we can do with the campaign is to give our people the knowledge, skills and equipment to help safeguard themselves in these situations. This reinforces our commitment to our people's well-being at work."