Paramedic who appeared to race ambulance near Pinderfields avoids being sacked

A paramedic who drove at excessive speed on a blind corner in Wakefield and nearly smashed into an oncoming van while appearing to race another ambulance has avoided being fired.
Pinderfields.Pinderfields.
Pinderfields.

Noel Scott was reprimanded for his conduct relating to the incident on December 11, 2017, on Stanley Road outside of Pinderfields Hospital in which he also went through a red light.

He was not responding to an emergency call at the time.

Concerns were raised by security staff at Pinderfields who spotted the two ambulances appearing to be racing one another.

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CCTV viewed later later showed Scott had driven on the wrong side of the road on a blind bend and through the red set of lights.

The Terratrack system fitted to the ambulance also records speeds - which showed the ambulance to be travelling at 41mph in a 30mph limit zone.

Following an investigation by his employer, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, he initially made no admissions of wrongdoing but after viewing the CCTV himself, admitted to unsafe driving.

He also admitted to having to swerve to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

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He said: "I left Pinderfields and my colleague was on the inside lane and I went around it, a van came towards me and I pulled back in, I was driving not as to the Trust’s guidelines on that occasion and I went to Aberford Road and I went round my colleague ambulance and I was irresponsible on the occasion."

The case was brought before the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service in London, where a panel decide that his "conduct marked a serious departure from the standards expected of a registered paramedic and was sufficiently serious to amount to misconduct".

"By driving in excess of the speed limit as alleged, the registrant (Scott) placed himself, colleagues and members of the public at risk and that by doing so, his actions bring the Trust into disrepute."

But the panel was told that Scott had since undertaken a driver hazard training and was "genuinely remorseful" for his actions, and that it was an isolated incident that would not be repeated.

He was given a caution which will stay on file for a year.