Prince William has recently visited the London Ambulance Service (LAS) headquarters to highlight the alarming rise in abuse faced by ambulance staff while on duty and to commend the service’s efforts to encourage workers to report such incidents. His visit coincides with LAS marking its 60th anniversary and grappling with an 11 per cent increase over the past year in both physical and verbal assaults against frontline ambulance crews and call handlers.

During the visit, William met paramedic Charlotte Miller, who shared her deeply troubling experience of sexual assault during a call-out on Edgware Road, where a man groped her and exposed himself before being jailed for nine months. Expressing his admiration for her courage, William praised Miller for speaking out, recognising the importance of breaking the silence around such abuses. She credited the support of her manager and colleagues for helping her cope with the ongoing impact of the trauma. The prince acknowledged that, while such incidents may be distressing, raising awareness is crucial to fostering change.

Pauline Cranmer, LAS’s chief paramedic officer and the UK’s first female in the role, described the current situation as “quite horrifying,” revealing that ambulance staff report an average of seven abuse incidents every day in London. She highlighted a growing willingness among staff to come forward, reflecting an organisational push to encourage reporting from verbal insults to physical violence. The incident rates underline the increasingly challenging environment paramedics face, with verbal abuse particularly prevalent among emergency call handlers who often endure aggression as the first point of contact during frantic 999 calls.

William, who is a former air ambulance and RAF search and rescue pilot and patron of the College of Paramedics, took time to meet the LAS wellbeing team focused on mental health support—a cause close to his long-standing advocacy for first responders’ mental health. His visit included a walkthrough of the emergency operations control room and a demonstration of the service’s innovative resources, including the world’s first purpose-built all-electric ambulance and electric fast response vehicles.

The prince commended the expanding scope of paramedic roles and the dedication of LAS staff, encouraging them to “keep up the good work,” while noting the critical need to address the abuse problem more effectively. This recognition comes amid broader concerns voiced by his father, Prince Charles, who has publicly condemned the surge in violence and abuse against NHS workers, describing such behaviour as “unreal” and “unacceptable” following his visits to hospitals where frontline staff shared their harrowing experiences.

William’s engagement with the London Ambulance Service underscores the urgent need for systemic changes to protect healthcare workers and supports the growing movement for greater accountability and mental health resources within emergency services.

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Source: Noah Wire Services