Hull paramedic struck off for failing to revive dying man

A defibrillator administers an electric shock to the heart during or after a cardiac arrest

A paramedic has been struck off for failing to revive a dying patient.

David Prideaux failed to take a defibrillator to the man, who suffered a cardiac arrest and then died at the scene, a health panel found.

The Health and Care Professions Council said an undisclosed health condition which prevented him carrying equipment meant he was unfit for duty.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic attended a 999 call to the patient's home on 25 January 2016.

Mr Prideaux, based at Hull East Ambulance Station, admitted he did not take the defibrillator because he was unable to carry the equipment as he was in "a great deal of pain and discomfort".

The panel heard he had "disc damage which was not anticipated to improve" and had been off work for a number of years.

His condition became worse after "he was assaulted at work in 2013", the panel was told.

'No electrical activity'

Mr Prideaux, who was the first paramedic on the scene, found the patient in the bathroom and tried to resuscitate him.

He was then joined by a colleague who later discovered the defibrillator was not being used and found there was "no electrical activity" in the man's heart.

In the report, the panel said: "By not taking the defibrillator into the patient's home, [Mr Prideaux] caused a delay in the attachment and use of the defibrillator. This was potentially very serious, although it cannot be said whether in fact this would have made any difference to the outcome for the patient...

"The HCPC's case is that by not being able to carry the required minimum level of equipment from the RRV to the patient, that [Mr Prideaux] was not fit for duty."

It concluded Mr Prideaux's actions were serious and "amounted to misconduct" because it "fell short of what would be regarded as proper in the circumstances, in failing to carry the defibrillator, being unfit for duty and failing to communicate this to his manager".

Stephane Pandit, panel chair, said he had "breached a fundamental tenet" and brought the paramedic profession into "disrepute".

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it raised concerns about Mr Prideaux's fitness to practice and confirmed he "no longer works for the trust".