Paramedic sent fake email from CEO, tribunal hears

An investigation was launched over a concerning email that appeared to be from the trust's former chief executive

A paramedic accused of sending a fake email from an NHS trust's chief executive has lost an unfair dismissal case.

Colin Homes, a former paramedic based at Fakenham ambulance station in Norfolk, was dismissed by the East of England Ambulance Service after being accused of misrepresenting information for financial gain.

He claimed he had been unfairly dismissed, but an employment judge found there had been no breach of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) guidelines.

In a report, the service said it had "lost all trust and confidence" in its former employee.

Colin Homes worked at an ambulance station in Fakenham

An investigation was launched after a concerning email that appeared to be from Rob Morton, the trust's former chief executive, was flagged to its head of information governance and data security.

'Out of office'

On 31 August 2018, an email appearing to be from Mr Morton's NHS email address was allegedly sent to Mr Homes in response to concerns about a change in employment terms relating to a wider national pay dispute.

In the email, it was claimed that some staff were eligible to remain on the previous, more favourable terms.

About four hours earlier, Mr Morton had sent an email to the whole trust announcing his resignation before switching on his "out of office".

On 8 May 2021, Mr Homes forwarded the email in question to four colleagues affected by these changes.

The investigation found the email did not appear to have existed before 8 May 2021 and that Mr Homes forwarded the 2018 email to himself before passing it onto his colleagues so he could edit its content.

Mr Homes felt he should have received a final written warning before being dismissed, but the employment judge felt he had been treated fairly and ruled in the trust's favour.