Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Andy Thomas from St. John's Ambulance speak with Katie Woolf on 360 after another ambo assault in the Territory this week

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Andy Thomas from St. John's Ambulance speak with Katie Woolf on 360 after another ambo assault in the Territory this week · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And joining me on the line right now is the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: director of Ambulance Services with Saint John and it is
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Andrew Thomas.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Andrew.
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: I'm very good morning to you, Katie.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: How are you not too bad? Andrew?
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: I tell you what, I was pretty upset, as I
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  Speaker 1: imagine you would have been even more so yesterday morning
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: to learn that not just one paramedic had been assaulted
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: on the job in the last twenty four hours, but two.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: What exactly has gone on?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, to say disappointed is probably an extreme understatement. This
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  Speaker 3: seems to be a regular conversation that I keep having
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  Speaker 3: on behalf of our paramedics that you know, being the
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  Speaker 3: victims of violence and aggression towards them from within the community.
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  Speaker 3: So we had, you know, previous day, we had one
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  Speaker 3: of our paramedics, while treating and rendering aid, is being
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  Speaker 3: physically punched and to the one of his to his
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  Speaker 3: leg and while you know, he's okay and there was
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: no medical treatment required for that, obviously, that's distressing for
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  Speaker 3: him and from you know, obviously from our staff to
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: see that people are actually moving towards physical violence. And
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  Speaker 3: then the other one we've had aggression Shade towards our
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: staff and towards the vehicles and everything while they've been
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: undertaking or trying to render aid to somebody. So again,
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  Speaker 3: really disappointing that, you know, our staff are out there
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  Speaker 3: trying to do the best that they can and are
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  Speaker 3: passionate about caring for people in all sorts of locations times,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, when people are having a bad day
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  Speaker 3: and they're becoming suddenly becoming a victim.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's actually pretty disgraceful stuff. And I know that
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  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken about this very issue on
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  Speaker 1: other occasions, and it's really quite disappointing that it continues
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: to happen. I do want to ask both of those
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  Speaker 1: paramedics are okay.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, we've obviously followed up at the time and
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: subsequently with with those paramedics. You know, obviously physically they're okay,
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: And I think you know both of them, you know,
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  Speaker 3: like the one that was punched, I think the initial
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: conversation was he's just frustrated, you know, and and it's
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: disappointment that it's happened, and frustration that you know, as
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: I said, that it's trying to do the right thing
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  Speaker 3: and being treating somebody and then to suddenly turn and
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: then a focus be pushed on here. So we continue
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  Speaker 3: to follow them up and they've received support through our
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: peersport systems and psychological support as well, and we do
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: we do that for all of our staff following any
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: of any of the events of violent aggression towards them.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Andrew, how often is this type of thing happening? And
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  Speaker 1: is it on the increase?
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  Speaker 3: Look at it's you know, we've we record all of
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  Speaker 3: the events and the times, you know, so that we
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  Speaker 3: can review them. This year, our numbers are around about
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: the same as last year, but you know, probably we
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: see we've seen a decrease in the amount of verbal
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: uh reports, so people being verbally abused. And I think
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  Speaker 3: that's really disappointing because to me, that's just demonstrating that
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  Speaker 3: and in speaking staff, you know, they're almost sort of
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  Speaker 3: as an element of acceptance that that's that that's happening
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  Speaker 3: and that's not okay our staff, you know, you know,
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  Speaker 3: verbal assaults or you know, verbal abuse towards our staff
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  Speaker 3: you know, does does impact on them emotionally as well.
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  Speaker 3: And you know, but we have seen you know, the
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  Speaker 3: numbers being constant of our physical assaults and I think
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  Speaker 3: you know. But one of the things I would say
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  Speaker 3: is that we've actively promoted obviously within our organization about
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  Speaker 3: staff reporting these and that we have a zero tolerance
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  Speaker 3: and that we will support our staff who wish to
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: take legal actions action against any individual responsible for assaulting them.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Well, they deserve better than that, you know, the paramedics,
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  Speaker 1: the ambulance stuff, they all deserve better than that. They're
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  Speaker 1: out there trying to help people in the community and
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  Speaker 1: it's just unacceptable that then they're having to calp that
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  Speaker 1: kind of behavior.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, look and look, you know unfortunately, yes, that it's
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: happening our paramedics in the Northern Territory, it's happening with
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  Speaker 3: paramedics across Australia, and it's happening with other healthcare professionals.
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  Speaker 3: And I think you know that. For me, the key
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  Speaker 3: message is, you know, there's were all in the current
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  Speaker 3: time where everyone's feeling the uncertainty of just the situation
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  Speaker 3: that everyone is in. At the nament is we all
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  Speaker 3: need to be coining to each other. We need to
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  Speaker 3: be respectful for each other. And whether it be help
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  Speaker 3: you know, police, whether it be frontline our health workers,
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  Speaker 3: or be our paramedics. You know, there is no cut
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  Speaker 3: cause or no situation where it is okay to either
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  Speaker 3: verbally or physically assault somebody else.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I one hundred percent agree with you.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, would it help in any way or is
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  Speaker 1: there any sort of any capacity for the punishment to
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  Speaker 1: be greater for those that do assault our paramedics.
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  Speaker 3: Look, there were some changes recently in sort of the
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  Speaker 3: last year or so that have promoted that. And as
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  Speaker 3: I said, we know we will support our staff going
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  Speaker 3: through pressing charges through with the police and then following
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  Speaker 3: through the legal system and allow that legal system to
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  Speaker 3: make determination. But you know, as I said, by doing that,
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  Speaker 3: hopefully you know, we don't want to see you know,
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  Speaker 3: people being ended up in jail. But also you know,
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  Speaker 3: for our staff is it's about making sure that you
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  Speaker 3: know that they're feeling protected and they're feeling that they're
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  Speaker 3: able to do their job in a way that you know,
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  Speaker 3: they feel safe and that they come to work wanting
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  Speaker 3: to build to care for people and that's what they're
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  Speaker 3: there for.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, spot on anything else we should be aware of
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  Speaker 1: this morning, Andrew.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: Now, I look, as I said, I just I would
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  Speaker 3: like to down tate there and the opportunity to thank
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  Speaker 3: all of our paramedic staff at the moment, obviously across
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  Speaker 3: the Northern Territory, all of our staff with Saint john
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  Speaker 3: and our volunteers have been doing an amazing job. And
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  Speaker 3: obviously you know we're feeling as though that you know,
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  Speaker 3: the workload is up at the moment, there's a lot
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  Speaker 3: of pressure going on and they're out there every day
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  Speaker 3: doing it. So you know, I want to just express
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  Speaker 3: my acknowledgment and thanks to all of our S John's staff.
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  Speaker 3: And also you know, if staff are out there, well sorry,
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  Speaker 3: if community out there and see them, take the opportunity
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  Speaker 3: and you see them to just say thank you and
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  Speaker 3: that means a lot to them.
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Here here, they do a phenomenal job.
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  Speaker 1: And like you've rightly touched on, not only all of
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  Speaker 1: those full time staff and those that obviously work there
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  Speaker 1: with Saint John's, but all of those volunteers as well.
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  Speaker 1: So many different things just would not be able to
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  Speaker 1: happen around the territory without them.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, as I said, that an amazing God and as
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  Speaker 3: I said, we thank them for all that they do.
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  Speaker 3: And and they're out there rain, hail or shine in
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  Speaker 3: all the weather and and doing it and treating people
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  Speaker 3: and in the worst day of their lives. They're amazing.
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  Speaker 2: Spot on well.
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  Speaker 1: Andrew Thomas, the director of Ambulance Services, good to speak
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  Speaker 1: with you this morning. Thanks so much for your time.
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: Thanks Caddie, thank you.