AMBULANCE staff are being urged to come forward if they are physically or verbally assaulted by troublesome patients.

Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust bosses want all front-line staff who have encountered problems to report them so they can have an idea of the scale of the problem.

There has been a rise in the amount of verbal and violent abuse against staff over recent months.

Assaulted

In April, the board reported six members of staff had been assaulted either verbally or physically, an increase on the previous month.

But bosses fear many such attacks may be left unreported as staff do not feel they are serious enough.

Steve McGuinness, director of operations at the Trust, said in the past staff have had to endure punching, biting and spitting, and on a number of occasions vehicles had been damaged.

"We would like to encourage our staff to tell us about the incidents so we can get a handle on it," he said.

"We want to make it clear it is not acceptable and all incidents should be reported.

"We sometimes go out to people many times, and it is not fair on crews if they are always met with abuse."

Ambulance staff are trained in how to deal with violence, and how to escape from potentially dangerous situations.

They are also taught how to "talk down"patients who may be verbally abusive but do not pose a physical threat.

Mr McGuinness said the Trust had been lucky enough to bring some cases to court to make sure the offenders realise the seriousness of their actions.

One such case is currently being dealt with by police and may go to court.