Flintshire,Gwynedd,North Wales - The riskiest places for ambulance call-outs in North Wales revealed

Flintshire had the most flagged addresses for paramedics in north Wales

• 6 FEB 2016
• BY GARY PORTER

More than 20 addresses across the region have been 'flagged' as posing a risk of abuse or violence to paramedics

More than 20 addresses in North Wales have been flagged as posing a risk of abuse or violence to paramedics.

In severe cases ambulance staff will require police support in order to safely respond to emergencies.

Last year the Welsh Ambulance Service highlighted 14 addresses as posing a possible crew risk and a further eight as being potentially violent.

Flintshire had the most flagged addresses with nine followed by Gwynedd with five, according to the figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Across Wales, 50 addresses have warning alerts.

The Welsh Ambulance Service says it has a 'flagging' system which alerts crews about addresses potentially risky addresses

The ambulance service said not all warnings would lead to an automatic request for police support and additional information is added to the warning for control room staff to pass on to paramedics.

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Crews are trained to do a risk assessment as they arrive at the scene to determine if additional support is needed.

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “Abuse against frontline staff can stop them from carrying out their duties, ultimately taking an ambulance resource away from someone who really needs it the most.

“The Welsh Ambulance Service has a ‘flagging’ system which provides for alerting responding crews where premises have a history of presenting violent or aggressive risks.

“This system indicates a need for additional vigilance on the part of the responding crews and, where appropriate, the need for accompaniment by the police.

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“The Welsh Ambulance Service does everything it can to ensure a safe environment for patients, staff and volunteers.

“We support our staff by providing violence and aggression training to enable them to deal with situations they may encounter and staff are expected to assess the risk on arrival at scenes and have discretion to stand-off and await support where indicated.

“Fortunately such incidents are the exception to the rule and we would ask the public to please treat our staff just as you would wish them to treat you.”

see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/riskiest-places-ambulance-call-outs-10849341