Paramedic left unable to hug her children after ambulance assault

A paramedic suffered a serious shoulder injury which left her unable to wash her hair or hug her children after she was violently assaulted by a patient. Yael Barker had just told the patient she was going to book her into the hospital when the woman sat bolt upright and punched her. Eventually, 15 months after the attack, the 42-year-old said she cried happy tears at finally being able to return to work. "I was even excited to wake up at 4am," Yael said. She said it would take some time for her to rebuild her confidence but said it was great to return having thought she might never get to do the job she loves again. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here . In February 2025 Yael had just arrived outside the University Hospital of Wales when she was punched and kicked by a patient in the back of an ambulance. Yael said: "As we arrived I explained to the patient that I was going to book her in to the hospital and then return. She suddenly sat bolt upright and punched me with the full force of her weight. "I turned to the student sitting beside me and shouted at her to get out. The patient then kicked me twice in my left shoulder, once in the stomach, and once on my forearm. "Straightaway I felt a horrific shooting pain down my left arm and was winded. The patient then got off the ambulance and ran at two more of my colleagues, punching one and narrowly missing another." Yael was assessed at the hospital and doctors found she had sustained a severe shoulder injury including rotator cuff damage, swelling, and tendonitis. The injury also caused her shoulder to partially dislocate and led to trapped nerves. She explained that being forced to take time away from the job she loved, and worked so hard for, took a real toll on her mental health. "I worked hard to qualify as a paramedic and it felt like all that effort and hardship had been taken away by someone else's actions," she said. Since the assault Yael said her shoulder had improved with physiotherapy, steroid injections, and pain medication but said she still needed further treatment to heal. "To this day I am still having physio to aid with mobility and strengthening as my left shoulder is over 50% weaker than my right. I'm still having to take regular medication for pain and nerve pain." In April Teri Jones, 38, of Plas Nanthelyg in Trowbridge, Cardiff , pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Cardiff Crown Court . She was later sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months. Yael urged anyone calling 999 to also consider the first responders. She said: "When you call 999 it's usually because you're having the worst day of your life but that's not an excuse to lash out. "Sometimes we're physically injured but often the impact is mental. I've lost count of the number of times a colleague or I have cried over something a patient or bystander has said or done." Lee Brooks, executive director of operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "This split-second act of violence has had a devastating and long-term impact on Yael and the fact she's been unable to work for so long is heartbreaking." He added: "It is time for us collectively to say enough is enough. We will always pursue prosecution if you harm our people so the message is simple – just don't do it." Police constable Ieuan Harris-Jones at South Wales Police said assaulting an emergency worker while they were working would never be tolerated and would lead to those responsible being arrested.