Sexual misconduct sackings soar at East of England Ambulance Service
Dismissals increase as staff become more confident in reporting incidents
Sackings over sexual misconduct at the ambulance service at the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) have increased six-fold in a single year.
EEAST dismissed 25 staff over ‘sexual safety’ cases in the 2025/26 financial year, up from just four the year before.
The trust, which runs emergency services across the county, including Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, has logged 156 such cases since April 2024.
The number of reports more than doubled in 2025/26 compared with the year before.
Twice as many staff also quit while under investigation for sexual safety cases, up from five to 10.
Bosses at the service have insisted the figures reflect growing awareness rather than simply an increasing number of incidents.
The trust’s annual report puts the surge down to staff feeling more confident about reporting, and says the resignations show “greater accountability and visible consequences for harmful behaviour”.
But campaigners have warned that the figures are still likely to underestimate the true scale of the problem, and that staff who quit mid-investigation could simply move on to new jobs elsewhere.
A spokeswoman for Surviving in Scrubs, which campaigns against sexual harassment in healthcare, said: “The numbers are concerning. This is a high number of reports, and even if confidence in the reporting system is improving, this is still likely to underestimate the true incidence.
“It is hard to know for certain whether the number of incidents is increasing, as the historical data has been lacking. However, the fact that more reports are occurring, for whatever reason, should be seen as positive. The next question would be whether or not they are managed appropriately and sanctions are given out proportionately.”
On staff who resign before an investigation ends, the group said what happens next depends on whether they have been referred to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the regulator for paramedics.
“Otherwise, if they are being investigated locally, there are no real robust systems to share that information between organisations,” the spokeswoman said.
“We are aware that some perpetrators simply move on to new employers.”
The figures were raised at a recent Essex County Council health scrutiny meeting where senior paramedics admitted problems ran across the organisation, with complaints including bullying, issues around religion and sexual harassment.
Simon Chase, chief paramedic for the service, told councillors: “Regrettably we have got examples of all of those cases going on in the organisation and it’s really sad for me to sit here as a chief paramedic and recognise that when we want to give the professionalism that we would treat our patients in the same way as we treat our staff members.
“We haven’t seen that. There are examples and we are dealing with those examples when they come to light. So there are examples of misogyny in the past.
“We’ve had poor harassment elements and even to the point of sexual harassment within the workplace. There is no place for that. We’re absolutely clear.”
Some 116 of the 156 cases were closed by March 2026, according to the trust.
It has brought in an independent body to review its complaints procedures and how to encourage staff to come forward.
A spokesman for the EEAST said: “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is a priority, and any form of unwanted, inappropriate or harmful sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable.
“The increase in reported sexual safety cases reflects growing awareness and confidence among our people to speak up. We take all allegations seriously and will take robust action where they are upheld, including dismissal and pursuing legal action where appropriate.
“There is no place in the ambulance service for sexual harassment and we encourage anyone who experiences it to report it.”