Paramedic returns to work after being violently assaulted in an ambulance

Mark Mansfield

A paramedic who suffered a serious shoulder injury after being violently assaulted by a patient has returned to work more than a year after the attack.

Yael Barker, 42, was punched and kicked while on duty in the back of an ambulance outside the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff in February last year.

The assault left the Roath-based paramedic with rotator cuff damage, tendonitis, swelling and trapped nerves, causing her shoulder to partially dislocate. She continues to receive treatment and says her left shoulder remains more than 50% weaker than her right.

The mother-of-two said the attack had a profound impact on both her physical and mental health.

“It was frustrating more than upsetting,” she said.

“I worked hard to qualify as a paramedic, and it felt like all that effort and hardship had been taken away by someone else’s actions.”

Yael said she and her crewmates had just arrived at hospital when the patient suddenly became violent.

“As we arrived, I explained to the patient that I was going to book her in to the hospital and then return.

“She suddenly sat bolt upright and punched me with the full force of her weight.

“The patient then kicked me twice in my left shoulder, once in the stomach and once on my forearm.”

She said she immediately felt a “horrific shooting pain” down her arm.

The injuries left her struggling with everyday tasks, including washing her hair, getting dressed and hugging her children.

Despite physiotherapy, steroid injections and pain medication, she is still undergoing treatment more than a year later.

After 15 months away from frontline duties, Yael has now returned to work.

“The longer I was away, the more upset I became that I still wasn’t healed or back at work,” she said.

“I cried happy tears putting my paramedic uniform back on and was even excited to wake up at 4am.”

Assault

At Cardiff Crown Court on April 20, Teri Jones, 38, of Trowbridge, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. She was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said the attack had a “devastating and long-term impact” on Yael and highlighted the abuse faced by emergency workers.

South Wales Police officer Ieuan Harris-Jones said assaults on emergency workers would “not be tolerated under any circumstances”.