A misconduct hearing has heard the actions of an experienced paramedic who failed to give adequate life-support to a 17-year-old girl fell ‘far below’ the standard expected.
Gavin Wood was the first medical responder on the scene when Quinn Milburn-Beadle was found in a wooded area near her home in Shildon.
A Conduct and Competence Committee of the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service heard Mr Wood told police officers to stop giving her CPR after checking her pupils and declared her dead.
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Quinn took her own life but expert witness Vince Clarke, a principal paramedic lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, said there was far more Mr Wood could have done as the initial clinician at the scene.
Mr Clarke said there was no attempt to clear her airways, to ventilate her lungs, to use a defibrillator or to administer adrenaline or any other form of intravenous medication.
Mr Clarke said: “At the time of the arrival of the registrant there was ongoing basic life support undertaken by the police officers at the scene.
“The natural role of attending paramedic at that point would be to support those interventions and to undertake their role as a clinician by firstly securing the airway.
“There was some suggestion that there was vomit in the airway and the airway might have been obstructed.
“There needs to be some consideration to addressing the airway to make sure that was open and clear and being maintained.
“Once that is done, with the ongoing chest compressions being undertaken by the police officers on scene, it would have been appropriate to then apply the defibrillator to determine if there were a shockable or non-shockable rhythm to continue the life support efforts.”
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Mr Clarke said there was no evidence to suggest Mr Wood had attempted to find a femoral pulse.
He said: “The conduct fell far below that expected of a registered paramedic in that from the evidence presented no treatment was undertaken on the patient.
“No assessment beyond a cursory glance was undertaken on the patient.”
The tribubal hearing, which started on Monday has heard from paramedic colleagues who said they believed Mr Wood failed Quinn by not providing adequate life support on December 9, 2018.
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The tribunal is to identify whether Mr Wood’s fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct and/or a health condition.
The hearing has been told a report carried out by North East Ambulance Service did not support the decision-making Mr Wood made.
The tribunal, expected to last until January 20, continues.
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