AN ambulance paramedic in Greater Manchester can expect to be physically assaulted at least once every weekend, it was claimed today.

New figures released by health union UNISON reveal more than two-thirds of all ambulance staff throughout the country have fallen victim to violence while carrying out their duties in the past 12 months.

The shocking statistics also disclose that one third of the attacks involved a weapon.

Now the union is warning that new plans for kerbside standbys for ambulances will put staff at even greater risk.

The report was part of the largest ever survey carried out into violence against NHS workers.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Ambulance Service (GMAS) said violence on crews within the area was "nothing like" on the scale that the national UNISON figures suggested. But, she conceded that injuries suffered by ambulance crews were increasingly worrying.

In addition she revealed that in the last seven years there had been a dramatic change in how paramedics perceived abuse and assault. In a survey carried out in 1991 an abusive reaction was regarded as swearing or pushing. Today, a paramedic would only consider reporting an incident if they had received a torrent of sexual or racial abuse and a strong blow.

She added that statistics also revealed that female and male crew members were equally targeted. And in addition to crew members, control room operators have also reported an increase in the amount of verbal abuse from 999 callers.

Within Greater Manchester, assaults have become such an issue that training sessions have been altered to leave staff able to cope with abuse. A Bolton union representative, said: "GMAS has a zero tolerance policy for anyone who is violent towards a member of staff carrying out their duties. This means that the service will prosecute anyone threatening staff in the course of duty. In cases like these, our management will back staff 100 per cent, as will UNISON."

In Bolton, paramedics are no strangers to being attacked by those they have been despatched to help. Physical injuries have been suffered, in addition to the serious mental scars.

Replica guns have even been held to paramedics' heads.

The union's head of health is now calling upon the Government to take a wider view of the situation. He said: "The sole focus still seems to be on nursing.

"There is a particular problem with ambulance staff and we think it should be taken seriously. This problem is not just about the risks of nursing.

"It is about time the Government recognised what UNISON has been saying for a very long time, that ambulance staff should be treated as a special case needing tailored solutions.

"If the NHS Executive carried out specific research they would understand why UNISON is so concerned about crews standing by on city streets -- a move which puts them at greater risk."

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