Harrowing footage captures the grim abuse ambulance staff face every day at work

Harrowing footage captures the grim abuse ambulance staff face every day at work The Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service says "disgusting" behaviour is disrupting emergency care after almost 500 serious incidents were reported inside a year The disturbing levels of abuse London Ambulance Service workers are forced to endure has been laid bare with one left needing therapy after being told to perform a sexual act during an assessment. New recordings released today reveal that 999 call handlers and 111 health advisers at the service are being subjected to explicit language, harrowing sexual remarks and deeply personal abuse just for trying to help people. Staff reported 462 incidents in the 12 months from July 2025 to July 2026, including sexual threats, groping, indecent exposure, explicit comments and sexual violence. But it's not just frontline medics suffering, with almost a third of the reports coming from call handlers who trying to assist over the phone. Chief Paramedic Pauline Cranmer said being forced to respond to unwanted sexual behaviour is a "shocking betrayal" - and said they "will not accept it, excuse it or allow offenders to believe they can target our people without consequence.” 999 call handler needed therapy after abuse One 111 health adviser, Maiara, described a caller who was performing a sexual act throughout the call - leaving the NHS worker needing therapy. Others reported similarly offensive incidents - as new data from LAS has found 462 incidents of sexual abuse against staff in the year up to July 2026 - and one third of those were reported by people in 999 and 111 control rooms. While it says most of the abuse is too graphic to make public, LAS has shared a video highlighting the issue the staff on the front line face, featuring anonymised extracts from real calls. Maiara said: "I hear sexual abuse over the phone quite often, especially during evening and night shifts. I once had a caller who appeared to be performing a sexual act during an assessment. "I was shocked and reported the call to my supervisor. It turned out he had done the same thing to several other health advisers. The call kept playing on my mind - it left me needing therapy." One chilling moment in the footage sees a man tell a 999 call handler he hopes to kiss her before he described a sexual act. The anonymised caller said: "I hope I can kiss you in your lips, and you know what (...) I'm going to **** myself off, I'm going to **** myself off." In another released extract, a caller continues to sexually harass a 111-health advisor after receiving a verbal warning. The caller says: "Hey, your voice sounds beautiful, it kind of sounds familiar as well." 'It prevents genuine patients from receiving the help they need' After being given a warning, they responded: "Can I get my second warning? Can I get my second warning?" Despite the 462 reported sexual abuse incidents, LAS said the true figure is likely to be higher because many incidents go unreported. Another 111 health adviser, whose call is among those being released, said: "It shocked me. I was just trying to confirm the patient's details when he started sexually harassing me over the phone. "It feels like these types of callers just want to abuse us, which prevents genuine patients from receiving the help they need." Another call handler described a frequent caller who made inappropriate sexual noises when a woman answered but ended the call when a man did. She said: "At first I questioned myself and wondered whether he was in pain. As the call continued, it became clear what he was doing. I was shocked that somebody would call 999 to behave like that." As the footage is released to expose the abuse call handlers face, Jason Killens KAM, Chief Executive of LAS, said: "Our call handlers and health advisers come to work to help people, yet some are left shocked and distressed by the sexual harassment they face. "Nobody should be subjected to that while trying to establish whether someone needs urgent medical help. These calls can stay with colleagues long after they end and take time away from patients who genuinely need us. "Our message to callers is simple: we are here when you need help. Respect the person who answers. "Sexual harassment and abuse are not part of the job and we will not accept it. "We urge all of our people to report instances of abuse so we can offer support and investigate the incident, and will always work with police when an offence has been committed."