Paramedic warned over texts to patient

Yorkshire Ambulance Service worker Mohammed Saeed sent text messages to a woman he had taken to A&E to find out if her friend was single, a fitness to practise panel heard.

A disciplinary hearing at the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) was told he attended the patient’s home after a 999 call in September 2013.

Mr Saeed, an ambulance worker for more than 13 years, took the 20-year-old woman to hospital along with her friend.

The panel heard that he then looked at the patient’s records to find her next-of-kin’s phone number and used it to send a text to her mother.

The mother passed the message to her daughter, who texted back to find out who he was. Mr Mr Saeed sent her numerous messages, asking to contact her friend.

But he was caught after the woman told a ward sister what was happening.

He was suspended by Yorkshire Ambulance Service in October 2013 and then dismissed.

The HCPC panel said in a written judgement: “He lost his job as a result of his misconduct in breaching patient confidentiality and remained out of work for almost a year.”

It was claimed by a witness that the patient’s friend had been“flirty” with Mr Saeed and that she had requested an exchange of phone numbers.

But the woman denied both allegations and said she had a boyfriend.

Mr Saeed admitted breaching patient confidentiality.

The HCPC panel ruled he had breached his position of trust. It said: “The Registrant’s behaviour was deplorable. He has let down his profession.”

Mr Saeed was given a caution which will stay on his record for five years.