‘You feel so violated and vulnerable’: Single mum ‘sexually assaulted’ in ambulance by paramedic
WARNING: This article contains language and content some readers may find distressing
As a single mum, Lucy* looked forward to her rare nights out. A few years ago, during after-work drinks at a local pub, she started feeling unwell. When she collapsed and passed out, a bouncer called an ambulance. Lucy’s drink had been spiked.
The ambulance was crewed by two paramedics, a man and a woman. Still unconscious, Lucy was placed on a stretcher, strapped on to the bed, and driven towards the hospital.
After a scary episode, Lucy’s friends must have breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe, and being looked after. But, as the female ambulance driver looked in her rear-view mirror to check on Lucy, she says she saw the unimaginable – her male colleague sexually assaulting his patient.
Lucy still doesn’t remember what happened, but she has the police report and crime scene pictures of the inside of the ambulance.
Pointing to a photo of where she was strapped down, she says almost matter-of-factly: “He put my legs up, so my knees were up, and put his hand inside my groin area – possibly touching my vagina.”
When she regained consciousness, she was told what had happened to her. Years later, she is still struggling to process it.
The paramedic denied the charges and was found not guilty at trial, but later struck off by the paramedics’ regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
They have a lower standard of proof than the criminal courts, and found against him, calling him a “serious threat to patient safety”.
Lucy still wouldn’t feel safe getting into an ambulance today. “It’s awful, you feel so violated and vulnerable,” she says.
“It’s a shock to think someone in that position would do that, when they’re supposed to be there to look after you.”
Her story is horrific, but Lucy is not alone. It forms part of a year-long Sky News investigation into sexual misconduct in the ambulance service, which has revealed a culture where abuse and harassment among staff are rife and patients are sexualised.
A senior ambulance boss admits the service has “let victims down”, while stressing that perpetrators are the “minority”.
Jason Killens, head of the Welsh Ambulance Service and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, says he expects “a steady increase” in the number of cases, with more paramedics being sacked for sexually inappropriate behaviour over the coming years, because of the work his organisation is doing to change the culture.
Data shared with Sky News shows one in five of the sexual misconduct complaints made against paramedics to their regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council, in 2023 were for acts against patients or members of the public.
While fewer than 1% of all HCPC members had concerns raised against them last year, in sexual misconduct cases, paramedics were hugely over-represented.
They make up just 11% of the HCPC register, but account for 64% of all investigations into sexual harassment against colleagues. The regulator’s chair, Christine Elliot, thinks the sexual misconduct cases are “just the tip of the iceberg”.
“This is all about patient safety,” she says. “Patients need to know when they see a practitioner, they can rely on them giving the best care possible with the best behaviour possible.”
‘Totally unnecessary breast examinations’
Cases like Lucy’s are rare but several whistleblowers across multiple trusts have spoken up about a culture in which “banter” or jokes about groping patients are commonplace.
Current and former paramedics claim to have heard patients, particularly young women, being sexualised by the men who had helped to treat or even save them.
One former paramedic revealed the phrase “totally unnecessary breast examinations” (or TUBEs), and said she had heard paramedics talking about “TUBEing” young, drunk women. She also claims to have seen a colleague grope another colleague’s breasts, telling her: “I just TUBEed you.”
A second woman said the same phenomenon was called “jazz hands” in her trust. Both said these were widely understood phrases which referred to colleagues accidentally, or deliberately, touching a woman’s breast during treatment.
A third paramedic told us she’d heard colleagues talk about patients in an explicitly sexual manner, saying things like: “She had nice tits” or “those were silicone”, while bragging about getting a patient’s number and having a “good feel”.
“That is assault. That is sexual assault,” she says.
‘It will be fun. Your career will progress’
“One of my biggest fears was that I wouldn’t be believed because of where I worked. It was the ambulance service and he was the man in charge,” says Ellie*, whose first job was as a call handler in an ambulance control room.
She loved the camaraderie and the idea that she was making a difference. Until one day, the manager called her into his office and invited her to a conference with him. At first, she was flattered and a little confused.
“He explained that he’d taken a liking to me and then he reached out and touched my leg.” Shocked, Ellie froze. “I was in my early 20s and didn’t know what his intention was. I was a bit naive, probably.” As he carried on talking, her boss slid his hand “as far up my thigh as it could go”.
Horrified, she shot back in her chair and asked him what he was doing.
“If you come, we’ll share a room. It will be fun. Your career will progress,” her boss replied.
“No,” she exclaimed, rushing out the room in a panic. Back at her desk, she carried on taking 999 calls while he watched over her.
Then she claims the messages started: “They were photos of his private parts, as well as messages suggesting meeting in the car park for sex and saying he wanted to kiss me. A whole manner of very descriptive sexual actions that he said he wanted to do with me.”
The messages carried on “for months”, she says, despite her pleading with him to stop. She was left dreading going to work for fear of seeing him, and avoided going to the toilet in case she ran into him in the corridor.
Eventually she showed the messages to HR, she says, but claims they suggested moving her to a different office. He wouldn’t be punished.
“It was sexual harassment,” Ellie says, caught between anger and despair. “They didn’t do anything. There was no investigation. No meeting with him that I’m aware of. No statement from me. Nothing. I was the problem.”
She eventually quit the service, but alleges he still works there to this day, an injustice that “makes me feel sick” she says.
An NHS England spokesperson said new national guidance and training has been recently introduced “to stamp out this awful behaviour”.
“Any abuse or violence directed at NHS staff is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated, and the NHS is committed to tackling unwanted, inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviour in the workplace. We have recently introduced new national guidance and training that will help staff recognise, report and act on sexual misconduct at work to stamp out this awful behaviour,” they said.
‘We failed those individuals… I’m sorry’
Ellie’s story is simply “not right”, says ambulance boss Mr Killens.
“We failed those individuals,” he admits, saying “I’m sorry” to both staff and patients who have “been subject to poor behaviour from our people”.
Work is being done, he says, to tackle this kind of behaviour, citing it as his, and his organisation’s, top priority.
That will involve rooting out the perpetrators, but also playing the “long game” to change the culture “so that we can begin to tackle low level misconduct or inappropriate behaviour early, rather than let it fester and get worse,” he says.
According to the HCPC’s chair, cultural change is needed from leadership down. Sexual harassment, Elliot says, needs to be treated as high a priority as “waiting times and crumbling hospitals”.
Read more from this investigation:
Life as a female paramedic
‘Toxic’ culture of harassment revealed
But many of the victims we have spoken to say the HCPC takes too long (an average of three years) to investigate misconduct allegations.
Elliot agrees that isn’t good enough, but says they are running initiatives to speed things up, and wants to see legislative change to give her organisation more power to speed up investigations.
They have also created a sexual safety hub for both victims and witnesses of inappropriate behaviour.
It can be hard to hear allegations like Lucy and Ellie’s, contrasting their stories with a service in which the majority of people are dedicated to saving lives.
But it’s also clear that for far too long, abusers and those who commit sexually inappropriate behaviour have operated with impunity in the ambulance service. Some were perhaps protected by allegiances or cover-ups, many others simply hid behind the veneer of “banter”.
Ambulance and NHS bosses have made it clear to Sky News they are determined to root out not just the perpetrators of serious sexual violence, but also to stamp out the culture that breeds this behaviour.
But in the meantime women like Lucy, Ellie and countless others won’t hear an ambulance siren and feel safe, telling us they would even struggle to dial 999 in the case of a medical emergency.
*names have been changed
Illustrations by Rebecca Hendin
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
She seemed perfect, at first. Her CV brimmed with all kinds of qualifications. And she had years of experience caring for vulnerable people.
As Sarah Whitaker sat at her kitchen table and looked through the paperwork the care agency had sent her, she knew that Tracy was the one she could trust to look after David, her 89-year-old dad.
Retired businessman David Seal suffered a stroke in the summer and needed more and more support at home.
He was taking a daily cocktail of strong prescription medicines and also needed help emptying his catheter bag because going to the toilet had become difficult recently.
“We need somebody experienced in stroke management and catheter care,” said Sarah. “But we also needed somebody who could drive my dad to the town and back. And somebody who was a very good cook.
“My dad chose Tracy and she arrived the next day.”
Sarah was sent Tracy’s CV and profile by Hampshire-based Access Care
Tracy came by train and, on the journey to David’s home, revealed that she could not drive because there was a problem with her licence.
Sarah saw this as a red flag. But that wasn’t all she was worried about.
“We had to teach her how to open and close the catheter because she had never seen one before. And that was a surprise given her experience.”
It got worse. Tracy couldn’t cook and once served David deep-fried Brussels sprouts for lunch. Sarah was increasingly concerned about the carer’s medicine management skills too.
“She was giving dad pills here there and everywhere. And that’s a problem because if you give my dad a pill, he’ll swallow it. Whatever it is.”
This was far removed from the carer she had read so much about.
Sarah was introduced to Tracy through an introductory care agency, Hampshire-based Access Care. When Sarah got in touch about her concerns, the agency said they were confused too.
They had never had any complaints about Tracy. She was the model carer.
And then one sunny day in early September, as David was being pushed around the village in his wheelchair by his grandchildren, one of them pulled out a mobile phone to capture the happy scene.
“As soon as Tracy saw the camera she stepped out of view as quick as a flash,” said Sarah. “And later my daughter said that it seemed odd that she didn’t want to be on camera.”
The woman who was looking after David Seal did not want to be pictured
Sarah rang the care agency again, who supplied her with a copy of Tracy’s driving licence. She looked at the video again.
“The image we had from the walk and the person in the driving licence photo were two different people.”
The next morning, Tracy – or whoever she was – packed her bags and left.
Sarah was horrified. She was left wondering who had been in her father’s house for nearly three weeks. It started to fit into place; the shoddy catheter care, the bad cooking and the poor handling of medicines.
She contacted the care agency again, who promptly contacted Tracy, who was adamant that she had been in the house caring for David.
Access Care contacted Hampshire Police. But the response was not what they expected.
A police constable replied on 4 November with disappointing news. They explained that officers had “limited lines of enquiry” and that because Tracy had denied the allegation, they would need an “independent witness” to confirm the allegation.
They seemed to be saying that they would not investigate, adding that it would be deemed “not in the public interest” to send a police officer to interview Tracy in person at her home, despite having her address.
Sarah said she only found out later that ‘Tracy’ was ‘two different people’
The police were clearly not interested and showed no signs of investigating. So as part of our investigation into this story, we tracked down Tracy to an address and decided to pay her a visit. To get her side of the story.
I arrived at a large housing estate and saw Tracy backing her car into the drive at the back. I approached her and said I wanted to speak to her about her work as a carer in David’s home.
At first, she said that she had worked very hard to provide the best care but that the family were not happy. She was very clear that she had lived in the home for nearly three weeks. No question about it.
But when I confronted Tracy with the photo evidence from the sunny village walk, her tone changed. She took in deep breath and sighed.
“I don’t know how to explain this,” she said slowly. “It’s so bad. Very bad. I’m sorry.”
Tracy admitted to Sky News she sent a friend to care for David
Tracy explained to me that she had asked a friend to do the care job in her place, admitting that her friend was not a trained carer. She said nobody had forced her to do it and she had never done anything like this in the past.
She said she thought she could get away with it because the care agency never checked up on her.
“They [the agency] never met me face to face. They have to do more checks to know who is going in the house.”
The real Tracy said her care agency never checked in on her
I show Sarah the video of Tracy and her astonishing admission. “She was knowingly complicit and sent an untrained carer – a complete stranger – into the house of a vulnerable elderly man who is very ill. The nerve of the woman!”
Sarah did some research and reached out to the care regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). But to her surprise, they said they could not help.
They don’t regulate introductory care agencies like the one Sarah used to hire Tracy.
“I thought it was absolutely incredible that the CQC were not involved and I was very surprised to discover that agencies like this send carers all over the the place but aren’t regulated in any way.”
Fully managed care is regulated by the CQC, while introductory agencies – like Access Care – use self-employed carers
One of the reasons why the deception was picked up on so quickly is that Sarah lives next door to her dad. And so, we got around to talk to David and I asked him how he felt about having a stranger looking after him.
“I feel very cross about it. I feel fooled and misled,” he said. But David is also clear about another point: regulation. Or lack of it.
“There’s no point in being responsible for the care industry if you’re only dealing with people who are registered with you. It is quite pointless.”
A spokesperson for the Care Quality Commission told Sky News: “We appreciate the distress this incident has caused both Mr Seal and Mrs Whitaker, however as neither introductory agencies or self-employed carers are covered by CQC’s remit we are unable to take action in this case.
“These matters should be reported in the first instance to the local authority safeguarding team who have the remit to investigate the issue and take necessary action.
“Any questions regarding the legal framework for how health and social care is regulated in England is a matter for the government.”
Read more on social care:
Services for thousands ‘under threat’ after budget
Vulnerable children put in caravans in ‘stark failure’ – report
David said CQC not regulating the introductory agencies is ‘pointless’
The care sector is big business. Home care services are worth over £12bn per year and rising, according to healthcare analysts LaingBuisson.
The government has written to Chief Executives of adult social care services telling them of their so-called ‘home first’ approach to healthcare, which supports people to live independently at home rather than being cared for in hospital. Just like the kind of care David was receiving.
And as winter comes and pressure increases on the NHS, these kinds of services are relied on more than ever.
“If you can’t guarantee that the person you’re expecting is the person you get then I think the system is very flawed,” Sarah tells me.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told Sky News: “Our sympathies are with David’s family and friends in this deeply concerning case.
“This government inherited a social care system in crisis. We are committed to building a National Care Service – underpinned by national standards and delivered locally – to improve the consistency of care and ensure everyone can live an independent and dignified life.”
“A healthy NHS and social care system requires strong regulation to ensure patient and user safety and that’s why we are reforming the Care Quality Commission to make sure it is fit for purpose.”
Access Care CEO Tiggy Bradshaw also told Sky News: “We were shocked to hear of this terrible deception and are deeply sorry for what Mr Seal and his family have experienced.
“When we heard of these alarming allegations, we contacted Action Fraud and the police and commenced an urgent safeguarding review. We have been in close touch with the family throughout and will continue to collaborate with the police.
“We have strict protocols in place however these extremely unusual circumstances have given us cause for reflection.
“We are in the process of developing further security checks and procedures for families in receipt of care at home.”
Read more from Sky News:
One Direction stars arrive for Liam Payne’s funeral
Why is there talk of World War Three?
Several days after approaching Hampshire Police for comment, a spokesperson told us they were looking into the case, adding: “Officers are carrying out a number of enquiries and the incident is still under investigation to determine whether any crimes have been committed.”
Sarah meanwhile says she has been left deeply concerned by the incident.
‘If the system can be played this easily, then the system needs to change,’ Sarah said
“We knew nothing about this person who was in my dad’s home. For all I know she could have been an axe murderer,” she told Sky News.
“The fact that the carer was able to get away with it for as long as she did put the entire system in doubt.
“If the system can be played this easily, then the system needs to change.”
The second named storm of the season will bring snow, rain and strong winds to parts of the UK this weekend, according to the Met Office.
Hundreds of schools are closed as the storm, named Bert, sweeps in, bringing freezing temperatures and snow over the weekend.
Wind gusts of up to 70mph are expected in some areas as well as the potential of flooding and travel disruption.
Heavy snowfall could bring further disruption to parts of the country while heavy rain is also likely, especially in western parts, the Met Office added.
A number of severe weather warnings have been issued for Saturday and Sunday.
Snowy conditions, in the village of Goathland, North York Moors National Park.
Pic: PA
Parts of the UK, however, will keep seeing wintry showers throughout Thursday and Friday, with a new alert issued as it warns of snow and ice for much of Scotland, northern England and parts of western and eastern England and Wales between midday on Thursday and 10am on Friday.
More than 114 schools are shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday due to snow, including Inverness Royal Academy where pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the day will be rescheduled.
Almost 40 schools in Aberdeenshire are also shut while many others had delayed openings, and in Moray around 12 are closed and others opened late.
It comes after more than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland on Wednesday because of the weather.
Commuters dressed in warm clothes walk over Westminster Bridge.
Pic: Reuters
South of the border, 89 schools are shut in Devon on Thursday, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall, while in Wales around 10 are closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Holley said: “Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.”
Heavy rain is expected especially in southern and western parts of the country on Saturday and Sunday, with up 50-75 mm of rainfall expected in areas under a weather warning, but Wales and southwest England could see more than 100mm.
The Met warned of travel disruption and flooding caused by the storm this weekend.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
Former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86, following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family has announced.
The former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman served as MP for Kingston upon Hull East for 40 years and was a key part of New Labour under Sir Tony Blair.
His family said he had “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment”.
Lord Prescott died peacefully, surrounded by relatives at his care home on 20 November.
Read more: Labour’s stalwart who pulled no punches
John Prescott and his wife Pauline.
Pic: PA
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The John Prescott ‘punch’ moment from 2001
In a statement released after his death, his wife Pauline and sons Johnathan and David said that representing the people of Hull had been his “greatest honour”.
They said: “We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 86.
“He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.
“John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister.
“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Former deputy PM John Prescott dies
They continued: “We would like to thank the amazing NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him after his stroke in 2019 and the dedicated staff at the care home where he passed away after latterly living with Alzheimer’s.
“In lieu of flowers and if you wish to do so, you can donate to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“As you can imagine, our family needs to process our grief so we respectfully request time and space to mourn in private.
“Thank you.
“Pauline, Johnathan and David Prescott.”
Read more from Sky News:
Politics latest: Follow live
Angela Rayner criticises farm tax ‘scaremongering’
Google could be forced to sell Chrome browser
A political giant
The death of John Prescott – the longest-serving deputy prime minister in British history – has sent shockwaves through British politics.
Serving in Neil Kinnock’s shadow cabinet before becoming Tony Blair’s deputy, Prescott was a political giant and an incredibly influential working-class voice in the Labour movement.
The son of a railway signalman and the grandson of a miner, Prescott offered a fresh working-class perspective in stark contrast to Tony Blair’s wealthy Oxbridge background: something that Blair has said undoubtedly contributed to Labour’s electoral success.
Current deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has been compared to John Prescott for providing Starmer with a working-class teammate with a trade union background, but Prescott’s colourful life and authenticity – even when that meant punching a protester for throwing an egg at him – can never be emulated.
Whatever he’s remembered for – from the Kyoto Protocol, being a mediator between Blair and Brown, or perhaps his personal issues – there is no doubt that his career will go down in history as a consequential contribution to the Labour movement.
‘A great man and great servant of country and party’
Lord Prescott served as deputy leader under Sir Tony and was seen by many as a key link to the party’s traditional working-class values amid the modernising push.
The two of them became known as “the odd couple”.
Paying tribute, Sir Tony said he was “devastated” by news of Lord Prescott’s death.
Sir Tony described him as “one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics” who could “talk in the bluntest and sometimes bluest language”.
The ‘odd couple’ at the Brighton races, in 1995.
Pic: PA
He added: “He was from proud traditional working-class stock yet understood instinctively and completely the aspirations of that class and their desire to better themselves.
“It is no exaggeration to say the Labour Party could never have won three consecutive full terms without John.”
Sir Tony continued: “Underneath what could be a fierce exterior, and a manner some undoubtedly found intimidating, beat a loving, kind and compassionate human heart.
“John was as good a friend as you could ever hope to have, with a deep sensitivity, even vulnerability.
“He will deservedly occupy a special place in the pantheon of the Labour leadership; he will be mourned by his many friends and fans around the world and for me personally, today is a day of profound sadness but also immense pride in having known him and worked with him: a great man and great servant of country and Party.”
(L-R) Blair, Prescott and Brown at the Labour Party conference in 1998.
Pic: PA
Lord Prescott famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit in North Wales in 2001.
During much of his time in office, Lord Prescott acted as a mediator between Sir Tony and then-chancellor Gordon Brown.
Mr Brown said: “Few achieve something akin to heroic status in their own lifetime, particularly when having to deal with the compromises of being in government, but John Prescott became – and will remain – a legend of the Labour Party”.
He added: “John Lennon said the working class hero is a difficult thing to be, but I think John would be just fine with being remembered that way.”
Pic: AP
He also served as secretary of state for the environment, transport and regions and helped negotiate the international climate change treaty the Kyoto Protocol.
Former US vice president Al Gore worked with Lord Prescott on the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
He said he had “never worked with anyone in politics – on my side of the pond or his – quite like John Prescott”.
He added: “He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them – a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened” to hear the news of Lord Prescott’s death.
While a loyal supporter of Sir Tony in office, Lord Prescott subsequently became critical of parts of the legacy left behind by New Labour.
This included denouncing Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War.
He also defended Jeremy Corbyn during his time as party leader in the face of fierce criticism.
John Prescott diving off the coast of Northumberland in celebration of World Oceans Day in 1997.
Pic: PA
John Prescott takes a close look at a Chinese Mitten Crab called Dennis, during a news conference about the Millenium flood defences.
Pic: PA
He was ennobled in 2010 but ceased to be a member of the upper House in July after facing health difficulties.
He had only spoken once in the chamber since suffering a stroke in 2019, and had not voted since February 2023.
Born in Prestatyn, Wales, on 31 May 1938, the son of a railwayman left school aged 15 to work as a trainee chef, then as a steward on the Cunard Line before entering politics in a career that spanned decades.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports8 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway