Video captures moment a patient spits in the face of a paramedic

Body worn camera footage shows the shocking moment a patient spits in the face of a paramedic who is trying to treat him.

The video – released by London Ambulance Service – also shows a separate assault by another patient, who is seen throwing a hard scoop stretcher at an ambulance crew inside a hospital.

Paramedic James captured both assaults on his body worn camera. The footage was handed over to police and led to both patients being prosecuted.

James said: “It is frightening when a patient attacks you. And spitting is the lowest, most disgusting and most disrespectful thing you can do – not to mention the fear of infection risk. It’s worse than being punched.”

James and his crewmate had been called to a patient who was unwell in the street last year. When they tried to assess him, the patient became aggressive and spat at both paramedics, hitting James’ crewmate in the eye.

He had to be taken to hospital for his eye to be flushed, a painful and uncomfortable procedure.

Earlier the same year, James recorded the moment a patient became violent after he took her to hospital.

The paramedic, who is 26, said: “She threatened to smash our faces in and found a scoop to throw at us and then a bin.

“You just don’t feel safe in a situation like that. You can see from the video, I had been so close to her trying to calm her.

“When you’re attacked, it’s difficult to want to come back to work but I have a thicker skin now and most patients aren’t like this. Most people genuinely need us and appreciate us.

“I’m glad I was wearing the body worn camera. I feel like I have a layer of protection with it on.”

Both patients were charged with two counts of assault on an emergency worker, given suspended sentences and ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

The offenders were both believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Analysts at London Ambulance Service have found that more than 40 per cent of the 739 physical assaults on staff so far this year*, involved drugs or alcohol.

London Ambulance Service has made body worn cameras available for all its front line staff but the cameras are only activated if the wearer feels threatened or at risk of violence, aggression or abuse.

Chief Paramedic Pauline Cranmer said: “The cameras act as a deterrent to prevent these incidents happening or escalating but when our crews are assaulted, the footage is critical in supporting investigations and securing convictions.

“Cameras act as an independent witness and as a result offenders are more likely to plead guilty. This saves our crews from the ordeal of having to face their attacker in court and it reduces the time needed to prepare for and attend court, meaning we can focus on our job of treating patients.

“We will continue to support staff who choose to wear a body worn camera; violence, aggression and abuse is not part of the job, our staff should not have to face it, they should be able to help people without fear.”

Body worn cameras are available for ambulance crews to wear and ambulances are fitted with crew safety systems which include CCTV and an electronic tracking system. All ambulance crews have portable radios to call for urgent help.

The Service has a dedicated Violence Reduction Unit which encourages colleagues to report all incidents of abuse to the police while also supporting them through the investigation and court process.

Chief Executive Daniel Elkeles said: “Abusive patients are just a small minority of the people we care for every day but these appalling videos shows the very real threat our ambulance crews face.

“They come to work to help people and deserve to be treated with respect while they do a difficult job.

“Incidents like this don’t just impact the victims, but also the service we provide for our patients. They can mean ambulances being unavailable and often extra crews are needed to help manage these incidents.

“This can delay and divert our crews away from patients who need our help.

“Anyone who does threaten or abuse our people, will risk being prosecuted. We have the technology and the team to pursue offenders and see they are brought to justice.”