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Paramedic disciplined over heart attack death
By Tim TonkinJune 28, 2010
A FARNHAM paramedic who advised a woman to take indigestion pills prior to her having a fatal heart attack has been found guilty of misconduct.
Anil Tailor was judged to have breached standards of conduct, performance and ethics at the end of a Health Professions Council (HPC) hearing.
The panel ruled that Tailor, a senior paramedic with South East Coast Ambulance Service, would be subject to a caution order for the next two years.
The ruling was based on four key claims against Tailor, including failure to take responsibility as a senior paramedic and failing to refer a patient to another healthcare professional for follow-up.
The allegations all related to an incident which had taken place in 2008 at the Penny Hill Caravan Park in Blackwater.
During the early hours of October 27 that year, Tailor attended the site after a call had been put through that a woman living there was suffering from arm and chest pains.
It was alleged that Tailor had advised the woman, who was referred to as Patient A, to take Gaviscon antacids and to contact her GP in the morning, before he then left the caravan site.
Tailor, however, was forced to return to Penny Hill 40 minutes later after reports that the patient had collapsed.
Despite efforts to resuscitate her, the woman died later that morning in hospital.
During the hearing, which opened on March 15 this year, Tailor admitted to three of the counts laid against him on the grounds of incompetence.
These included a failure to take responsibility as the senior clinician at the scene, and failing to ensure that the patient’s clinical record and a medical checklist had been adequately and accurately completed.
He had also initially admitted to an allegation of failing to refer the patient to another healthcare professional for follow-up, but later changed his mind and denied the charge.
Ultimately Tailor’s defence, led by Nadia Miszczanyn, claimed that where her client had failed in his duties, it was due to lack of competence rather than misconduct.
His defence also insisted that Tailor’s fitness to practice as a paramedic had not been impaired in spite of his admissions of incompetence.
The panel concluded however that Tailor had failed in his duty on all four counts, adding that it considered this failure to be due to misconduct rather than incompetence.
In a series of extracts from its decision, the HPC outlined its verdict on the incident.
It described how Tailor had not taken responsibility as the senior clinician on scene, had not discussed the findings of the ambulance technician or intervened even though he knew onboard ECG equipment was defective.
The panel further added that Tailor had also been aware of errors in the patient’s records, something he admitted during cross-examination.
They said: “Had the registrant [Tailor] checked this form, it would have been apparent to him that the recording of observations as ‘good’ were inaccurate.
“The registrant was clearly capable of dealing with the tasks set out… and for the need of their performance, but did not on the occasion in question perform the task required of him.
“The failure by the registrant to refer Patient A to another healthcare professional for follow-up, in the circumstances of this case, constitutes misconduct.
“He was an experienced paramedic and should have done so.”
The panel did however concede that it considered the incident to have been an isolated one, adding that Tailor had shown insight and remorse for his actions.
It also highlighted the fact that there had been no subsequent complaints or concerns raised regarding Tailor’s practice as a paramedic.
Tailor, who has the right to appeal, will now be subject to a caution order that will remain on his professional record for the next two years.
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