London Ambulance Service staff report 462 sexual harassment incidents

London Ambulance Service (LAS) crews and call handlers reported 462 incidents of sexual harassment and abuse between June 2025 and July 2026. These incidents included sexual threats, groping, indecent exposure, explicit comments, and sexual violence, according to figures released by the service.

Almost a third of the reported incidents involved call handlers who experienced sexual abuse from callers while attempting to provide assistance over the phone. The behaviour disrupts emergency care and can lead to staff being taken off duty, potentially delaying help for other patients.

New Campaign Launched

In response to the scale of abuse, the London Ambulance Service has launched its “We show up. Show some respect” campaign. Jason Killens, chief executive of LAS, stated that staff attend to Londoners when they need them and asked for respect in return. He emphasised that such behaviour is abuse and will not be treated as part of the job. The service pledged to work with the police and push for prosecution where a crime has been committed.

The campaign was prompted by concerns that many incidents go unreported. A video released by the service uses CCTV and body-worn camera footage to highlight the abuse staff endure. Much of the content was deemed too graphic to share publicly due to its explicit nature.

Chief paramedic Pauline Cranmer noted that while one colleague reports such abuse daily, these figures likely underestimate the true extent of the problem. She referenced the NHS Staff Survey, which found that almost two-thirds of women working on ambulances reported experiencing unwanted sexual behaviour from patients, service users, relatives, or the public in the preceding twelve months. More than one in five frontline ambulance colleagues who reported unwanted sexual behaviour said it occurred at least three times during the year.

Paramedic's Experience Leads to Prosecution

Paramedic Gosha Graf reported being groped by a patient she was assessing. The patient subsequently refused further care. Upon reviewing the patient’s notes, Ms Graf discovered he had sexually assaulted another paramedic earlier that same day after also refusing treatment. She reported the incident to the police.

The perpetrator was jailed for 18 weeks for sexual assault in March of this year. Ms Graf, who stated she experiences sexist or sexualised comments most days while on duty, commented on the incident: “I was trying to help him when he grabbed me and I remember thinking, ‘Why does anyone have to put up with this just for doing their job?’ This man called 999 to abuse us.”