An ambulance technician has told how his life fell apart after defending himself from an aggressive patient.

Joe Hemming, 36, was fired by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) after he claimed he restrained a man who was about to punch him in an ambulance.

Joe says he doesn't resent the patient, but blames EMAS for how the situation was handled.

He now fears that other ambulance workers will be afraid to defend themselves in future.

He won an employment tribunal after the ambulance service didn't respond.

EMAS say they can't comment as they have appealed the decision, but have brought in body cameras to protect staff from violence and encourage staff to report incidents.

Joe was an Emergency Medical Technician stationed at Grantham at the time of the incident in June 2021.

"We were called to a well-known violent patient who had several warning markers in our system. He appeared to be intoxicated and got very aggressive," he said.

"He kicked off on the way to the hospital while I was driving, and I had to tell him firmly to shut up and sit down. That defused the situation until we actually arrived at hospital. 

"When I was in the back of the ambulance, he raised his arm to punch me and I had nowhere to move. I had to think quickly and react. I put his arm behind his back, and he calmed down a few seconds later.

"I reported the incident as normal and didn't think anymore about it. Then I heard that I was being suspended for attacking a patient.  

"I thought I had used reasonable force. There was CCTV which showed what happened, and my ambulance partner and the hospital staff backed me up. The patient never even make a complaint."

An ambulance attending rural scenes in the East Midlands (image courtesy of EMAS)

Joe was ultimately terminated, which had devastating consequences for his life.

"When I lost my job, I had to go on Universal Credit. My landlord didn't accept it, so I was forced out of my house with my three children close to Christmas," he said.

"It really affected me mentally. I loved doing that job. In the space of 28 days, my life was turned upside down. 

"What message does it send if ambulance staff can't defend themselves? I'm not doing this job to be assaulted, I'm here to help patients. 

"There had been a previous incident where I was nearly stabbed while on duty and had to defend myself – my manager backed me completely then. 

"Because of what happened to me, EMAS staff at Grantham say they are very cautious. Many are scared to report similar incidents where they've had to push back in case there are ramifications."

Before his termination, Joe's good work had previously been celebrated by EMAS and he had made TV appearances on their behalf.

He has since encountered the patient who attempted to hit him, and says there were no problems: "He had no memory of what happened, and apologised to me when he wasn't intoxicated.

"The next time he needed treatment, I showed him nothing but respect – that's how ambulance staff are trained. Every day is a blank slate. My issue isn't with him, it's with the situation and how EMAS handled it."

Joe now works with a private ambulance company, and is still committed to a career helping patients. 

He has been informed that EMAS have launched an appeal to the tribunal decision. 

Tina Richardson, Deputy Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development said: "We are aware that this case is on-going and subject to additional external procedures through a formal tribunal process, which are yet to be completed. Therefore, it is not appropriate to comment any further at this stage."

The ambulance service say they encourage all staff to report any aggression and violence against them, and will work with the police where necessary to prosecute offenders. 

This comes as ambulance crews nationwide are on strike.

EMAS have also recently urged the general public to seek help from a range of healthcare providers before they get seriously ill, limiting the need for ambulance call-outs at a time when services are incredibly stretched.

Read more here.