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Ambulance workers are being threatened with disciplinary action for speaking out about what they describe as “systemic issues” within the service which they feel have left them at serious risk of harm, Express can reveal.
The email warning, seen by Express, was sent by Justice and Home Affairs Chief Kate Briden on Friday, just one week after the launch of a campaign highlighting violence against members of the Ambulance Service.
Entitled 'Work Without Fear', last week's awareness campaign saw some staff share their first-hand experiences – including one paramedic whose nose was broken in a violent incident – in a bid to highlight the severity of the issue and call for greater respect from the public.
It followed the high-profile legal case of paramedics Tom Le Sauteur and John Sutherland, who were found guilty of failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of a man who was behaving violently and later died.
While the Ambulance Service has always maintained it has a "zero-tolerance" approach to violence, the case prompted many paramedics to speak out anonymously about an alleged lack of support in dealing with such incidents which they allege has led to a "toxic" work environment.
Sent on Friday afternoon, Ms Briden's email reminded staff that "now more than ever, it is imperative that the behaviour of those who proudly wear the States of Jersey Ambulance Service crest, is impeccable", and went on to remind them that staff who share their experiences with the media may face disciplinary action.
Noting that, engaging with the media is "inappropriate and contrary to the Codes of Practice employees agree to while working in the public service", she went on to say that doing so could harm the service's reputation and would not be tolerated, as such actions could erode public trust and potentially result in loss of life.
"Damage to the reputation of the service runs a very real risk of islanders losing confidence in the care we are able to provide and ultimately runs a risk of loss of life. Any behaviours contrary to these agreed policies will be dealt with according to the relevant policy," she wrote.
Instead, she said that concerns should be raised via internal channels, such as speaking to line managers, or via the Government's whistleblowing policy.
But some staff feel this warning – the second that paramedics have faced this year – typifies the "culture of fear" in the service which they feel has prevented lessons from being learnt.
One of the key issues affecting the workers Express has spoken with relates to the steep rise in assaults against paramedics in recent years – coupled with what they feel to be insufficient support from police.
The States of Jersey Ambulance Service has logged 26 incidents of violence, aggression and intimidation so far in 2024, which is more than the total reported cases in the previous two years combined.
There were 14 reported incidents in 2023 and seven in 2022, according to a statement released by the service earlier this month. In comparison, there were five incidents in 2021 and four in 2020.
Several paramedics, speaking to Express on condition of anonymity due to fear of repercussions, have detailed the severity of threats they say they face.
One paramedic with over ten years of experience said: "Coming across a violent or threatening patient is definitely guaranteed at some point during a set of shifts but can be daily. I have had a patient verbally threatening me, telling me where I live and they know who my family are."
Another paramedic said they had responded to between 15 to 20 incidents that involved patients who were armed.
They added: "I've had incidents where I've waited over 45 minutes for police back-up to arrive when dealing with a violent patient, if back-up comes at all."
However, when previously asked about support from police, Police Chief Robin Smith and Ambulance Chief Peter Gavey maintained that current protocols and processes were robust.
They said it was "important to recognise that working in the emergency services inherently involves a degree of risk", adding that it is a "sad fact of life that emergency responders can face violence and aggression while doing their jobs".
Outlining the process, they continued: "In the Emergency Services Control Centre (ESCC) based at police HQ, police and ambulance control staff work alongside each other in a single control room responding to emergency and non-emergency calls. Each call received in the ESCC, whether from the public or another emergency service, is risked assessed and resources deployed accordingly.
"The heads of all Jersey's 'blue light' services have strong and productive relationships and meet to share learning and best practice so our collaboration remains effective and responsive to the needs of the community.
"We continuously review and improve our response strategies to minimise risks and enhance the safety of all emergency service personnel and remain dedicated to serve and protect our community effectively."
While the ambulance service did recently launch the 'Work Without Fear' campaign to address concerns about the surge in attacks, some staff have said they still don't feel that their concerns have been adequately listened to.
Pictured: Eric Rolland was punched in the face by an intoxicated patient while on duty.
Some said they felt it to be akin to a PR exercise, and that the campaign wrongly placed responsibility and blame on members of the public, while potential systemic issues remain unaddressed.
"It seems to be a way of management to pretend to be seen to be doing something—a little too late," one paramedic said.
Part of the issue, they said, is that members of the public who lash out may have complex mental health issues. Some also reported feeling inadequately prepared for dealing with individuals who present as suicidal.
This comes a year after policy changes saw police officers no longer routinely sent to mental health incidents unless there was a risk to life or a crime was being committed – an approach that mirrored one being rolled out across England and Wales.
At the time of the changes, it was argued that when concerns are raised by the public but risk assessments determine there is no need to send police officers, police controllers will directly contact the Mental Health Crisis Team.
The aim was to allow police to focus on crime-fighting while also improving outcomes for patients in mental health crises.
However, paramedics say they are now bearing the brunt of this shift, with one claiming they hadn't received any specific mental health training at all.
"That leaves us completely vulnerable, with no way of defending ourselves," they said.
While the crisis line is advertised on gov.je as being reachable around the clock, some said that, in their experience, it has sometimes gone unanswered outside of regular business hours. Others said they had experience of calls that had not led to any response.
One paramedic went so far as to describe crisis team as "useless" and "overwhelmed", adding: "The last time I contacted the crisis team they asked me to call back in eight hours' time—I was finishing my shift in the next hour."
Another said that some calls left them feeling like "every tactic possible to fob us off" had been used. They said they had also experienced "many" occasions where the team "point blank refuse to attend".
However, when asked about the crisis team's performance by Express, Mental Health Director Andy Weir, said that a 'face-to-face' response was achieved within four hours around 98% of the time.
He added: "The only time that the phone won't be answered is if they are doing an assessment."
The Mental Health Director also argued that there was a voicemail system in place and that he was not aware of concerns raised by the ambulance service about unanswered calls.
Staff say that their concerns have been raised many times, but always seem to fall on deaf ears.
The effect, they say, is a workplace environment marked by low morale and a fear of speaking out.
One paramedic who was in touch with Express this morning said: "Even though our senior ambulance management have received an official vote of no confidence against them in June very little seems to have changed."
Another ambulance worker said: "There is a clear divide between frontline staff and management.
"There is a blame culture where management will find frontline staff guilty regardless of any investigation."
Giving one example, they explained: "One of our managers came in our staff room and removed all our thank you cards we had pinned up from members of the public with no rationale."
According to the paramedics Express spoke with, this combination of increased violence, an alleged lack of support, and apparently hostile management is driving some to leave or consider leaving the service.
"The amount of people who are trying to get out is scary," one paramedic warned. "It's going to take someone getting really badly injured, or, god forbid, being killed, for management to actually put something into place and not sweep it under the carpet."
"Everyone there is scared and has considered other options," another paramedic revealed. "We are all broken. We are just numbers."
To address these issues, ambulance staff are calling for improvements to policies for securing back-up during potentially violent incidents, additional staffing, mental health training, and improved risk management protocols.
"We need policies and procedures as a starting point," one paramedic said. "We need to be listened to. We need more medically trained staff. We need to be seen as people not just easily replaceable if we don't do what we're told."
"It needs to be remembered that we have families and are not robots."
The Justice and Home Affairs Department was first contacted about these concerns by Express on 12 November. Chief Officer Kate Briden's email warning staff not to speak to media about their concerns was sent shortly after 15:30 three days later.
An interview with Kate Briden to discuss each of the concerns in detail was requested but turned down due to diary pressures. One week later, Express is still awaiting for responses to the following queries:
How does JHA respond to these concerns about the lack of timely police backup and the risks this may pose to paramedics and the public?
What policies or protocols are currently in place to protect the physical and mental health of emergency responders? Are there any plans to improve these?
Could you clarify the criteria that determine when an officer is or isn't sent to support paramedics? What specific circumstances trigger police involvement, and are there situations (e.g. mental health crises) where response protocols might differ?
Ambulance launches 'Work Without Fear' campaign amid surge in attacks (November 2024)
Paramedics lose appeal against convictions (October 2024)
Paramedic PPE rules got in way of timely patient care, appeal hears (October 2024)
Convicted paramedics thank public for support ahead of appeal (October 2024)
Court appeal date set as paramedics fundraiser nears £50k (August 2024)
IN NUMBERS: The violent reality of working in Health (August 2024)
"Zero-tolerance approach" to attacks on ambulance staff (July 2024)
Britain's biggest union calls for urgent review of Jersey paramedics' case (July 2024)
Paramedics found guilty of failing to provide reasonable care (June 2024)
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