Woman jailed after assault on paramedic

A woman has been jailed following an assault on a member of staff earlier this year.

A Waveney-based paramedic was called to Great Yarmouth in April to treat patient Kerry Haigh. However, Ms Haigh refused to cooperate, lashing out and punching our colleague in the chest. She was also verbally abusive.

Police were called and Haigh was arrested. She appeared in court on 18^th April, where she was sentenced to 16 weeks custody.

The member of staff, who has asked not to be named, said: “Unfortunately, staff often view assaults as part and parcel of the job these days.

“It has made me nervous and apprehensive and makes me think that when I'm old and grey, will I have the ability to withstand the physical and psychological effects of these events and the stresses of the job in general?”

Assaults on colleagues are unacceptable; the Trust will always offer complete support to any member of staff who is assaulted by someone they are trying to help, and will always pursue a prosecution in these cases.

If you have been assaulted whilst working for the Trust, please report it; you can contact Local Security Management Specialist Anne Wright by email at anne.wright@eastamb.nhs.uk, or by phone 01245 444499.

Please also remember to log any incident of abuse or assault, big or small, on Datix.

Published 29th June, 2016