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Search forParamedics attacked by mob in Bristol
Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 07:48
One of the two women paramedics had to be treated in hospital after she was assaulted while attempting to treat a patient who had suffered a heart attack.
The ambulance had its back windows smashed during the incident in Ashley Road, St Paul's.
Its crew, who have not been named, were confronted by a crowd of about 30 "drunk and intimidating" people when they arrived to help another female paramedic attend an incident at Tasties cafe on Saturday morning.
Details of the incident emerged as Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) announced that new vehicles answering calls in the city have been fitted with CCTV cameras to record evidence of attacks on staff.
A solo female paramedic had arrived in Ashley Road just after 8am on Saturday to treat a 30-year-old who had suffered a cardiac arrest.
When the ambulance crew turned up to help and take the patient to hospital the jeering mob smashed the vehicle's back windows.
After they arrived at the Bristol Royal Infirmary with their patient, one of the ambulance crew also had to be treated for minor injuries
All three paramedics were left shaken by the incident and were sent home without completing their shifts.
A colleague of the women said: "A large malevolent crowd was interfering with the ambulance crew, jostling, pushing and preventing them from doing their job."
Earlier this month, the Bristol Evening Post reported there had been 23 physical assaults on ambulance staff in the Bristol area over the year to the end of March.
Among the incidents reported was one in which a brick was thrown at a female paramedic, who had to take refuge in an ambulance while the windows were smashed. In another case, a male crew member had his arm twisted and was hit in the face.
GWAS unveiled its new ambulances yesterday.
The CCTV systems will be used to record footage from inside the vehicle, which could be used as evidence in court cases, although they will not be able to film incidents in which staff are assaulted outside their ambulance.
GWAS presses charges against anyone who assaults paramedics and emergency care assistants.
Clinical team leader at Bristol ambulance station and Unison representative Chris Hewett said: "We hope that we will never need to use CCTV footage but it is reassuring to us that firstly, it will act as a deterrent and secondly, it will be used to hold people to account for their actions.
"Ambulance crews have a right to go about their duty without facing violence and aggression.
"We accept that sometimes things go wrong and I believe that 23 assaults is 23 too many, but we think it is likely that the numbers are far higher than those in the figures released."
Mr Hewett said the number of reported results could be lower than the real figure because of the reporting system that was in place during the last financial year.
The ambulance service already has nine of its new vehicles in operation across Gloucestershire and the former Avon area, including two at the main Bristol station, two in Keynsham and one operating from Almondsbury. The number will increase to 24 across GWAS by early next year.
Mr Hewett has been out in one of the new five-tonne vehicles.
He said: "They are about half a foot longer than our previous vehicles and a little bit taller but I was able to go down Vale Street in Totterdown, which we couldn't in the older ambulances."
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