Service excels at dealing with attacks on staff

FIGURES show the region's ambulance service is again top when it comes to dealing with attacks on its staff.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) emerged on top in a table that ranks the way services support staff who have been attacked and how efficiently they prosecute perpetrators.

Statistics show that EMAS reported 70 assaults during 2010/11 and brought action against 51 offenders.

Nick Arnold, EMAS's management specialist, said: "We do not tolerate aggression against any member of our staff and we will take action against those who think nothing of assaulting our staff when they are trying to help.

"For the third year running we are the top performing ambulance service for managing and taking action on the incidents reported to us by our staff."

Of the 70 attacks EMAS reported last year, 18 involved medical factors (mental health, learning disability or confusion caused by medication) and 52 were assaults that did not involve medical factors (people under the influence of alcohol or drugs).

Mr Arnold added: "People must make a conscious effort to remain in control of their actions at all times - not doing so could result in them having a criminal record, and perhaps a very different life to the one they had planned."