CORNWALL’S ambulance crews have been injured on the job almost 300 times in the past three years, new figures have revealed.

Data obtained by Personal Injury Claims UK shows that between 2021 and 2024, 299 South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) staff based in Cornwall sustained injuries while responding to emergencies.

The injuries range from back strains caused by lifting patients to serious harm inflicted during violent incidents.

Manual handling tasks, such as lifting and moving patients, remains the single biggest cause of injury for crews.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has long flagged the dangers of manual handling, including a HSE report in 2016, which estimated that MSDs cost the UK 8.8-million working days a year.

But while lifting injuries are a well-known hazard, violence towards ambulance staff is now a growing threat.

Figures from the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) show in 2024/25, more than 20,000 incidents of violence, aggression or abuse were recorded against ambulance workers across the UK.

Within SWASFT’s wider service area, moving and handling caused 608 injuries over the past three years, followed by slips, trips and falls (297). But the real concern, unions say, is the mental impact of abuse and trauma, which is pushing experienced staff to leave.

UNISON national ambulance officer Sharan Bandesha said: “No one should be attacked for simply doing their job. Rising pressure on the health service has created a toxic environment where violence and abuse are becoming far too common. Staff are being left traumatised, injured and even forced out of roles, which makes the workforce crisis worse.”

As a result of injuries sustained, many workers have submitted claims against the South Western Ambulance Service over the past few years. Between 2021-2024, 35 claims were lodged, 17 of these claims being settled. This has led to a total of £116,109 being paid out to successful claimants.