Female paramedic sustains multiple injuries in hospital assault

A female paramedic has been seriously assaulted at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry while responding to someone in need of medical assistance. Police said the attack happened at about 17:45 GMT on Saturday and a suspect has been identified.The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said the paramedic sustained injuries to the back of her head, neck, face and hands during the attack. They said she is also believed "to have suffered concussion".They added that the incident happened after the NIAS received a call to provide medical assistance to a male patient who was being transported by ambulance to the hospital, following initial treatment.The NIAS said the "attack lasted a number of minutes"."On arrival at the hospital, and while being transferred from the stretcher to the chair, the patient delivered a punch to the face of one of the paramedics who was helping him"."The force of the blow knocked her down and knocked her glasses off her face," they said. "The other paramedic tried as best she could to intervene but couldn't get into a proper position to help, after the assailant also attempted to punch her."He then turned his attention back to the first paramedic and started a sustained attack on her as she lay helpless."Jenny Keane, chief executive of the NIAS, said she was "horrified and outraged" to hear of the assault."This incident is particularly disturbing given that it was perpetrated by an adult male on a female paramedic, while her other female colleagues did what they could to help. "This was a sustained assault on a paramedic who has a career of over 37 years, caring for her local community."Although her physical injuries, of which there are many, may heal over the coming days and weeks, I would be concerned at the psychological and emotional impact this may have on her and others involved."Keane said NIAS staff "must be free to go anywhere without the fear of being assaulted, quite simply for delivering care and compassion to someone they have been called to assist".Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Foyle assembly member Sinéad McLaughlin, who knows the paramedic personally, said she was "absolutely appalled by this vicious attack on a woman". She said she found the incident and the extent of the paramedic's injuries "deeply upsetting". "We cannot allow attacks on healthcare workers to become something that is simply accepted as part of the job."We need to send a clear message that this will not be tolerated, and the safety of our frontline workers must be a priority."