A damming report has revealed that more than 1 in 10 staff members working at the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service have reported experiencing sexual harassment from their own colleagues. The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service – which is run by the Isle of Wight NHS Trust – is said to be the worst service in the country when it comes to its staff being sexually harassed by their coworkers, which has prompted a full review to be launched. It has been confirmed that 11% of the workforce at the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has experienced such sexual harassment, more than anywhere else in the country. The shocking news comes as a result of an NHS-wide staff survey, which has been uncovered thanks to a Freedom of Information request by the national publication, The Independent. Island Echo understands that the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has addressed unacceptable behaviours raised within the organisation to date, but there are internal fears that there are more unwarranted behaviours occurring than what is being reported to health bosses. As the NHS survey is anonymous, it’s unknown exactly which areas of the Ambulance Service are experiencing such unacceptable behaviours. 
“The safety of our staff is of paramount importance, any form of sexual misconduct, in the workplace, or otherwise, is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the NHS. “It is incredibly disappointing that some staff have been subjected to behaviour which is unwanted and inappropriate. We are undertaking a full review of these results and a detailed report will be presented for further action. “The NHS Sexual Safety Charter outlines our commitment to taking and enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace, and the core principles and actions we are putting in place to help achieve this.”
5 ambulance services with the highest percentage of staff experiencing sexual harassment from their colleagues:
- Isle of Wight NHS Trust (Ambulance Sector) – 11%
- East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust – 9%
- South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust – 9%
- South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust – 9%
- London Ambulance Service NHS Trust – 9%
The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service has seen its reputation damaged over the past few years as a result of paramedics being accused of sexually-motivated behaviour. Paramedic Andrew Martindale was sentenced in the courts after pleading guilty to possession of indecent images of children in 2021, just a year after another paramedic, Timothy Ross, was struck off the medical register for possessing indecent images too. In 2015, Stuart Hamilton – also a paramedic – was struck off for sexually motivated actions against patients as young as 12.
