THINK about a paramedic’s job and you might wonder why people do it.

They work unsocial hours under immense pressure. Like most public sector workers, they have seen their pay cut in real terms for quite a few years in a row. And sometimes, they are at risk of violence from the very people they are trying to help.

Our story today of a paramedic who was punched, at 6.30pm on a Tuesday, by a patient, will shock readers.

The men and women of the ambulance service sometimes see human behaviour at its worst – and yet they keep on giving us their best.