UK ambulance services now have the highest rate of reported incidents of violence, aggression and abuse directed at their people ever recorded, according to the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).
Incidents traditionally start to escalate in spring, the association says. Summer 2024 saw the highest number of incidents on record, with 6,093 reported. Alcohol is the most prominent factor in assaults against ambulance staff, the AACE says, followed by drugs and people in mental health crisis. Race and sexuality (of the workers, abused by those they are trying to help) have also increased as exacerbating factors in assaults. The association points to the March 2025 publication of the NHS Staff Survey which suggested that 38 per cent of front line operational NHS ambulance staff have been physically attacked or been the victim of physical violence at work in the last 12 months, while only about three-quarters, 76pc reported it to their NHS trust managers.
Some 22,536 incidents of violence, aggression and abuse against ambulance staff were recorded across the 14 UK ambulance services in the 2024-25 financial year, an increase of almost 15pc on the previous year and compared with the 2021/22 total of 15,430.
Chair of AACE Jason Killens has written to Government ministers responsible for ambulance services in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland asking about national policy interventions. Jason Killens said: “Frontline staff as well as call handlers are affected by this horrendous abuse and 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 situation is now so serious that we are seeking to engage with UK health ministers at the highest level to explore new interventions that could help deter potential perpetrators of these attacks. We would also underline again that it is vital that the judiciary uses all available legislation to ensure appropriate sentences are handed out consistently to those found guilty of committing these horrific crimes against our workforce.”
Comment
At the trade union UNISON, national ambulance officer Sharan Bandesha said: “No one should be attacked for simply doing their job. Ambulance workers who respond to emergencies, from heart attacks to car crashes, are trying to save lives. Rising pressure on the health service has created a toxic environment where violence and abuse are becoming far too common. This is unacceptable. Staff are being left traumatised, injured and even forced out of roles which makes the workforce crisis worse.
“Trusts must take urgent action to prevent violence, ensure proper reporting systems are in place and support those affected. NHS workers deserve to care for patients without fearing for their own safety.”
