Boy dies, paramedic struck off
Alan MacFarlane failed to check the condition of eight-year-old Harry Sherman, who had been suffering from breathing problems, when he arrived at the disabled boy's home.
He also failed to administer basic life support before driving the gasping child to hospital, where the boy died minutes later.
The father-of-one has now been struck off after a panel of the Health Professions Council, the regulatory body for paramedics, said his conduct fell "woefully" short of what was expected.
The hearing heard how Harry, who suffered from cerebral palsy, began having breathing problems after suffering a chest infection and vomiting on April 19 last year.
MacFarlane, 55, and an ambulance technician, David Hughes, were dispatched to his home in Colchester, Essex, in response to a 999 call but were caught in traffic on the way there and then had problems finding the address.
When they finally arrived, MacFarlane failed to assess the boy's condition and instead stood at the front door of the house waiting to take him and his father, Marlon, to hospital.
Giving evidence at the hearing, Harry's mother, former nurse Alison Day, 46, said the pair got out of the ambulance 'at their leisure'.
'They didn't show any concern. I asked where they'd been and one said: "All right, all right, we're here now,"' she said.
"'Marlon had raised his voice because he was very distressed. He kept saying 'Are you going to do anything?' He wanted them to take over [CPR] but they didn't touch him. They didn't even speak. It was just a shrug."
The hearing in Kennington, south London, heard Mr Sherman, 42, eventually picked up his son and carried him to the ambulance in his bare feet.
MacFarlane then drove the ambulance to Colchester General Hospital while Hughes sat in the back.
"Mr Hughes seemed half asleep and his attitude didn't change in the back of the ambulance," said Mr Sherman, who acted as full-time carer for his son.
"After fiddling around with some leads he eventually put a bag to Harry's mouth. He was holding it but not doing anything.
"I started to squeeze it. Then he took over. By that time we were at hospital."
Staff fought to save Harry's life but he was pronounced dead minutes later. A post mortem found the cause of death was bronchial pneumonia.
MacFarlane was suspended two weeks later and his case was referred to the HPC.
Melinka Berridge, representing the council, told the heating: "At no stage either inside the house or ambulance did he take the clinical lead or attempt to use the life support equipment. Nor did he take over CPR."
Dr Angela Tillet, a consultant paediatrician, said she would have expected a paramedic to have opened the child's airways and started chest compressions before arriving at the hospital.
MacFarlane, of Earls Colne, Colchester, did not attend the fitness to practise hearing on Wednesday.
In a statement he claimed father and son 'could not be parted' and complained he had been 'concerned that the dad could have lashed out because of the dad's body language'.
Describing his decision to drive the ambulance rather than treat a patient, he added: "I realised I shouldn't have been in the front but I didn't stop in case there was a further delay."
But he was found guilty of a number of charges, including failing to give appropriate care, take the clinical lead as expected of a senior paramedic, carry out a check of a patient's airways and start life support.
He was also found guilty of inappropriately choosing to drive the ambulance to hospital but cleared of a charge of sarcastic or rude behaviour.
HPC panel chairman Jacki Pearce said: 'His shortcomings were of such magnitude from a clinical and professional perspective that the panel couldn't permit him to return to practise.
"Only such an order will ensure that public confidence in the profession is maintained."
Hughes resigned from the East of England Ambulance Service before a formal disciplinary hearing last year.
He will not face an HPC hearing as ambulance technicians are not regulated by the body. - Daily Mail
Published on the Web by IOL on 2009-11-19 19:47:57
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