A paramedic has been suspended for 18 months after he mocked patients by calling one a 'pansy' and ridiculing another who called for an ambulance over a paper cut. Samuel Heenan made a string of critical social media posts about 999 call outs he had had to attend.
The NHS worker ridiculed one patient who had called over 'chest pains' after playing on a Wii video game device. He mocked another who 'could not decide if [they] are having a seizure or eating a sandwich', a panel heard. He teased another who called the emergency services after suffering from three weeks of 'smelly poos'.
The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service [HCPTS] hearing was told Mr Heenan thought the posts were 'humorous' and 'would raise morale' among his colleagues. The paramedic was suspended last year for 12 months.
Now he has had his suspension extended for a further six months at a new HCPTS tribunal. The panel ruled that he can't yet return to practice as he hasn't proven that he has learned from his behaviour.
Heenan began working as a paramedic for the South East Coast ambulance service - which covers Kent, Surrey, Sussex and parts of Hampshire - in 2014. Two years later, the Trust were told of a number of inappropriate Facebook posts Heenan had made. In total, Heenan was found to have posted or messaged inappropriately 14 times.
In one post, Heenan wrote: "Firstly: a paper cut on your neck does not count as a stab. Secondly: a paper cut on the neck does not justify an emergency ambulance. Thirdly: How do you even get a paper cut on your neck?!"
In another, he wrote: “People ask me what I have achieved at work today so I inform them that I have been enforcing traffic law, scaring people driving using their phone and writing fake speeding tickets. All in a day’s work for an undercover paramedic.”
The panel heard the NHS worker wrote on Facebook: “I think it’s about time we stopped taking emergency(ish) calls now as there are no ambulances to send and no beds in A and E."
In November 2018, Melissa Wale, a student paramedic who carried out her placement with Heenan, complained about his behaviour during shifts which was then also investigated, the panel heard. Ms Wale told the panel her mentor had made comments about 'scroats', called a patient a 'pansy' and said the job was a 'pile of crap' with Heenan often having 'little patience' for less serious calls.
He also called the 111 NHS staff a 'bunch of monkeys' to a child's mother and asked her why she had not driven to A&E seeing as her car was in the drive, the panel heard. Ms Wale told the tribunal she would not have wanted the paramedic to treat a member of her family.
Heenan had also said to a colleague 'we should leave our lights and sirens on outside the house to embarrass the patients' and called a patient a compulsive liar. The complaints were investigated but Heenan quit before any conclusion was reached.
At the latest HCPTS tribunal, Heenan argued that he should have his licence to practice back. He said: "I have learnt a lot from my previous mistakes and have worked hard to develop myself and my situational awareness."
He also 'accepts full responsibility for his actions and he failed to see them from the perspective of others at the time'. He added that he 'did not intend to be offensive'.
The panel concluded that he hasn't shown he has learned from his actions. It ruled: "Whilst he has completed some limited [training] to maintain his clinical skills, there was nothing before the panel to demonstrate that he has undertaken any learning around the specific areas of misconduct found proved.
"The Panel has decided to extend the current suspension order for a further six months. This is required to reflect the serious misconduct and give him an opportunity to further develop his insight and remediation."
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