Violent incidents recorded against UK ambulance staff to exceed 20,000 a year

New data from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) has revealed that UK ambulance services are on course for the highest rate of reported incidents of violence, aggression and abuse directed at their people ever recorded in the sector with over 20,000 incidents expected across the fourteen UK ambulance services in the 2024-25 financial year.

This means that every single day, at least 55 ambulance staff will be abused or attacked, with reported incidents including kicking, punching, slapping, head-butting, spitting, verbal abuse and sexual assault, and ranging from common assault to significant serious attacks involving a multitude of weapons. On top of this many assaults go unreported, so the true figure is actually higher.

These concerning statistics come after the busy festive period, with data from AACE - which represents the UK public ambulance sector – revealing it is likely that over 5,000 incidents will be reported between the busiest winter months of December 2024, January and February 2025 alone. As a result, AACE is highlighting the profound impact of this abuse on the everyday lives of ambulance staff while encouraging the small minority of people who might commit these offences to have greater respect for the people who are trying to help them when they are most in need.

Jason Killens, AACE Chair and Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust said: “It is with huge regret that we see the level of violence, aggression and abuse across all UK ambulance services increasing and that frontline clinical employees as well as call handlers are affected. This unacceptable behaviour has a major long-term impact on the health and wellbeing of ambulance people who are simply trying to do their jobs and help save lives. This is why we are making a plea to the public to ensure that our staff are treated with the respect they deserve, especially during the busy festive period. We are also asking the judiciary to use their full powers under the Assaults on Emergency Workers Offences Act 2018 legislation to ensure appropriate sentences are handed out consistently to those found guilty of committing these crimes against our workforce.”

The AACE data shows:

• The UK public ambulance sector is on course for the highest rate of reported incidents ever seen in the sector, already hitting 61% of the previous financial year’s total of 19,633 (2023/24) in just six months of 2024/25 (11,817) to end September 2024. At this rate of increase, AACE expects to see reported incidents of violence, aggression and abuse exceed 20,000 for the first time ever across the fourteen UK ambulance services (including the devolved nations).
• Based upon the current rate of increase, AACE expects to see over 5,000 incidents reported between the key winter months of December, January and February, with over 2,000 expected in December 2024 alone, the focal month for Christmas and New Year celebrations where alcohol use tends to be more prevalent than usual.
• There has been a significant increase in reported incidents of violence, aggression and abuse against ambulance staff over the past four years. In 2021/22 the total figure was 15,430. In 2022/23 it rose by 2.7% to 15,857 but in 2023/24 the figure rose by 23.8% to 19,633. The data to end September 2024 (half of the 2024/25 financial year) shows recorded incidents hitting 11,817, with a trajectory suggesting reported assaults will exceed 20,000 for the first time ever, a further increase of at least 2%, but most likely higher.
• Alcohol is the most prominent factor in assaults against ambulance staff, followed by drugs and people in mental health crisis. Race and sexuality have also increased as exacerbating factors in these assaults.

Anna Parry, Managing Director of AACE said: “These new figures highlight the upsetting fact that ambulance employees face the very real possibility of being subject to violence or abuse each time they start a shift. This can have a significant and lasting impact on wellbeing and sometimes even lead to people leaving the ambulance service. Our ongoing #WorkWithoutFear campaign is shining a light on this alarming issue and raising awareness of the negative impact of this behaviour on our people, while a significant amount of work is ongoing within ambulance services to help better protect our workforce.”

As a result of the escalation in violence and abusive incidents, NHS ambulance services have prioritised the safety of their people and are undertaking several initiatives alongside the #WorkWithoutFear campaign to try and effect behavioural change among those who might carry out these assaults or become abusive, while providing employees with as much support as possible to reduce the incidence of assaults. This includes:

• Dedicated violence prevention teams established within each NHS ambulance service.
• Body worn video cameras being piloted and evaluated in all NHS ambulance services.
• The establishment of a centrally coordinated violence dataset that enables each ambulance service to report the type and frequency of assaults in a more consistent way, giving a greater foundation and better understanding of the prevalence and reasons behind violence and aggression directed at ambulance people.
• A successful ‘restrictive interventions’ training programme giving ambulance people safer ways to protect themselves and patients in potentially volatile situations.
• Counselling and other forms of talking therapy and support for employees who have been subjected to violence and aggression; the sector continues to work hard to find new and innovative ways to provide better post-incident support for its people.

The public can pledge their support for this campaign by using and sharing #WorkWithoutFear on social media and by visiting www.aace.org.uk/vaa to view films about some of those affected.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) is a membership organisation established in 2011 to provide UK NHS ambulance services with an organisation that can support them in the implementation of nationally agreed policy. Whether for patient care, operational policy, emergency preparedness, employee wellbeing or volunteering, AACE exists to support its members and to act as an interface, where appropriate at a national level, between them and their stakeholders. AACE’s activity can be grouped under three functional areas: to connect, co-ordinate and facilitate; to produce, deliver and commission bespoke pieces of work on the UK NHS ambulance sector’s behalf; and to advocate, influence, engage and communicate. As part of this remit, AACE also engages in carefully chosen consultancy activities designed to help improve ambulance services in general, both at home and abroad. More information is available at www.aace.org.uk. The AACE logo is also available upon request.

For further information: Please contact Carl Rees, Head of Communications, AACE. Email: carl.rees@aace.org.uk.

VIOLENCE AND ABUSE IN THE EEAST REGION

EEAST's launched its 'Your Safety, Our Priority' campaign last year after 1,455 attacks were recorded on staff – 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 EEAST campaign builds on the #WorkWithoutFear campaign from Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) and NHS England, which highlighted the profound impact that abuse has on ambulance staff and volunteers.

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."