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Staff at the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) are continuing to face what the organisation has described as unacceptable levels of violence and verbal abuse, with new figures showing that, on average, a member of staff is assaulted or abused every day.
Figures covering the period from December 2024 to 30 November 2025 show that 369 SAS staff were either physically assaulted or verbally abused while on duty. This represents an 11% increase compared with the previous year.
Of these incidents, 192 involved physical assaults and 177 involved verbal abuse. Nearly 200 staff members were physically injured while on shift, with the majority of incidents occurring in the east and west of Scotland. Regional data shows 155 incidents in the west, 146 in the east and 56 in the north.
SAS chief executive Michael Dickson said the figures underline the ongoing risks faced by frontline ambulance staff.
“The fact that our staff face daily violence, verbal abuse or aggression is completely unacceptable. These incidents can have a significant and lasting impact on our people, sometimes even leading them to leave the ambulance service.
“Our staff have the right to carry out their work helping patients and saving lives without fear of assault or abuse, and we will continue to work closely with Police Scotland to take action against perpetrators.”
Michael Dickson, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service.
Reported assaults include staff being spat on, kicked, punched and threatened with weapons.
Gillian Sommerville, a technician based at Leven Station in Fife, described being assaulted while responding to a call during a night shift. She and her crewmate were dispatched at 2am to attend an unconscious male, where they encountered three other males who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“Due to the freezing temperatures, we quickly lifted the patient into the vehicle,” she said. “The three friends then started shouting and banging on the ambulance and rocking the vehicle.”
She described how two of the individuals entered the ambulance and began shouting at the crew, while another attempted to grab her through a window. As the patient regained consciousness, his friends attempted to remove him from the trolley, prompting Gillian to request urgent police assistance.
Gillian sustained an arm injury during the incident and underwent several months of physiotherapy. Three of the men were arrested, and the patient later assaulted a police officer while in hospital.
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