Ambulance staff suffer 40 attacks in a month - including being spat at and urinated on

A representative for the service said staff have faced a spike in abusive incidents in recent weeks.

Ambulance crews who have been working during the coronavirus pandemic have, in some cases, been spat at by people they were trying to help - who then told them they had Covid-19.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, area manager with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Mark Cochrane said there had been 40 attacks in the month of May, including 35 in the 10 days leading up to 7 June.

In the month of May last year there were only 12 attacks.

The incidents included verbal abuse, physical attacks, and spitting on staff, as well as one incident in which a patient attempted to urinate on staff.

“It’s bizarre that we’re coming out of a period where for 12 weeks where people have stood on their doorstep and clapped ambulance staff... now we’re seeing this,” he said.

He added the provision of body armour and body cameras for staff would be introduced, but that there had been plans for these changes prior to the coronavirius pandemic.