Ambulance workers were assaulted in a serious incident of violence on Christmas Day morning whilst trying to care for others.
In an incident reminiscent of the parable of the Good Samaritan, one of our sole responders was returning to station in her rapid response car when she came across a person sat alone in the middle of the Moor Farm roundabout on the A19 in Northumberland. She stopped to help out of concern.
Initially, the person did not engage but during the exchange she reports the person turned to assault her.
She pressed her panic button which alerted a second emergency ambulance crew who were coincidentally passing the scene. They stopped to help, and a second crew member was then also physically assaulted.
An additional duty officer was then deployed, and it took three members of staff to restrain the man before the police arrived.
Operations manager at North East Ambulance Service Claire Jobling said, “We are shocked and disappointed that members of our team delivering care in our communities be hurt on Christmas Day. Our staff come to work at Christmas to keep helping people who need them. They leave their own celebrations and families at a special time of year and it’s inconceivable that they come across any sort of harm in the line of duty.”
The responder, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been working for the service for twenty years and has been assaulted once before earlier in her career, which is never acceptable. With injuries to her arm and ribs following the event, she said,
“I have two small children at home who were waiting for me to return home to celebrate Christmas. I’ve struggled with small things like brushing my hair, cutting up my dinner and most importantly, giving my kids cuddles – and that’s just the physical impact I need to recover from.
“Had there not been anyone close by to help I think it could have been a very different story. It’s just not acceptable – we were just trying to help.”
Northumbria Police have arrested a man in connection with the incident on suspicion of assault. He has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
The attack came just hours before The King, in his Christmas message to the country and the wider Commonwealth, personally passed on his own thanks to those professionals “who, with their skills and out of the goodness of their heart, care for others, often at some cost to themselves.”