THE boss of the ambulance service in the region has issued a zero tolerance warning after a patient allegedly attacked two clinicians sent to treat him.

The man set on two of the three crew after they were called to his home in Wellington, according to South Western Ambulance Service chief executive Ken Wenman.

The alleged attacker has since been arrested and charged over the incident.

Mr Wenman said the trust would not stand for abuse of its staff.

He added: “The trust takes incidents of this nature extremely seriously and any abuse, whether verbal or physical, will not be tolerated.

“Every member of staff plays a vital role in serving their local community and should be able to fulfil their life-saving role without fear of abuse and assault.

“There will be consequences for people who believe it is acceptable to disrespect ambulance personnel.

“I cannot understand why anyone would want to abuse the very people who are there to treat and reassure them.

“My thoughts are with our staff members who were needlessly assaulted and I would like to thank them for retaining their professionalism during the incident and wish them a swift recovery.”

As the trust gears itself up for a busy summer after the Bank Holiday, with the influx of visitors to the region, Mr Wiseman said it was important for people to use the service “wisely” and to treat ambulance staff with “the utmost respect”.