NHS workers taking 999 and 111 calls at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) urge the public to treat them with respect.
New data shows that assaults and abuse towards staff working both in the call centre, as well as working in ambulances, has increased at NEAS in recent years.
Verbal abuse remains one the most frequently reported concerns from health advisors within the service.
Incidents reported by call handling staff across the last 12 months have increased by 400 percent since the previous year. It is expected that some abuse on the telephone goes unreported and that the scale of abuse is possibly much higher.
Health advisors are the first point of contact and face a high volume of verbal abuse across both 999 and 111. Last year health advisors answered over 422,000 calls on 999 and over 965,000 111 calls and provided CPR advice over phone for over 10,000 incidents. They also treated and discharged over 33,200 patients over the phone, reducing pressure on other services.
Staff report incidents such as shouting, swearing, insults, name calling and racial abuse.
Chief operating officer at North East Ambulance Service, Stephen Segasby says: "We have seen a rise in incidents over five years and that’s something we take incredibly seriously because our staff come to work to care for others - they should be able to do this without being abused or attacked.”
On average, North East Ambulance Service receives around 90 incidents of reported violence and aggression each month from call handing and ambulance staff in total.
A health advisor at NEAS who joined the service to make a difference to people’s lives after relocating from Pakistan 12 months ago, said: “Working for NEAS allows me to contribute to patient care by offering guidance, reassurance, and support to those in urgent need. The role is both challenging and rewarding, giving me a strong sense of purpose.
“However, the experience of racial abuse I received was deeply upsetting. I always aim to provide the best service, regardless of a caller’s frustration, but being subjected to racial discrimination was disheartening. It momentarily affected my confidence, but I reminded myself of the importance of my role and the support system available.
“I would remind callers that we are here to assist them. We understand that medical situations can be stressful, but treating health advisors with kindness and respect allows us to provide the best possible care. Abuse towards staff does not help anyone; it only makes the situation more difficult for both parties.”
One health advisor said: “I received a call through 111, the caller kept on screaming and cursing the whole time and refused to give name or other details. They did not stop cursing after I gave them warnings and they continued to use racially abusive words.”
Another health advisor said: "I received 10 calls in less than 12 hours that were all extremely derogative calls and verbally abusive.”
To help support staff at NEAS all calls are recorded, and managers are able listen in to calls to give advice and support to colleagues as well as encouraging staff to report using a variety of methods. Additional training is also provided to all health advisors to deal with conflict and challenging situations.
Head of operations for the NEAS emergency operations centre (EOC), Lynn Huldie is responsible for ensuring high service quality, meeting performance targets, and managing finances and contracts effectively.
She said: “Having worked for NEAS for 35 years this July, I have witnessed significant changes, both in the service we provide and in the communities we serve.
“The North East has become far more diverse since I started in 1990, and we are fortunate to have a workforce in the EOC that reflects this, bringing together individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
“Our commitment to supporting health advisors is stronger than ever, with dedicated training that helps them recognise when a difficult situation is developing, manage challenging calls effectively, and, most importantly, seek support from experienced colleagues and managers when needed.
“Reporting verbal abuse is crucial, and we want our staff to feel confident that NEAS takes these incidents seriously—we have supported staff by escalating cases to the police where necessary to ensure appropriate action is taken. Our priority remains creating a safe and supportive environment where our teams feel valued and protected while delivering vital care to our patients.
“It’s important that members of the public remember that this is a difficult job and that doing the best for a patient can be much harder when people are abusive. Abuse also lowers the resilience of our people, right when you might need it the most.”
NEAS also offers several resources to staff including occupational health, mental maintenance toolkits, staff networks support, TRiM (trauma risk management) and access to a NEAS clinical psychologist who can support with mental health referrals.
Mr Segasby continues, “Whilst there has been a rise in incidents, we have also done a lot of work as a sector and as an organisation to help our colleagues feel more confident to report and it is encouraging to see that staff are doing that.
“We work closely with our local police forces as well as with national partners including AACE, NHS England, NHS resolution and NHS employers to raise awareness and tackle these issues and capture key evidence for a potential prosecution.
“Any form for assault or abuse can put the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our staff at risk, and in some cases, people have been known to leave their jobs.
“We will not tolerate the abuse of our staff they should feel valued by those they help and safe to carry out their duties. If you do come into contact with any of our staff, please treat them with courtesy and respect."
The rise in assaults is becoming a real concern for ambulance services across the country as recent data from Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) warns ambulance services are on course to report the “highest ever rate of violent, aggressive and abusive incidents against staff.