Assaults on ambulance crews over Christmas and New Year doubled from previous year Assaults against ambulance staff doubled between Christmas and New Year compared with the previous year. South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said the concerned about a continued rise in assaults against its staff. Between Christmas and New Year, SWASFT staff reported 50 incidents of violence and aggression from patients and other members of the public. Of these incidents, 16 were physical assaults on staff. This represents a stark 85 per cent rise in incidents and double the number of assaults from 2019. On Christmas day a crew responded to a patient holding a kitchen knife whose car collided with the ambulance as he tried to leave the scene.