A paramedic who put a toddler’s life at risk and tried to cover it up has been stripped of his licence.

Jason E. Edwards was on a 999 callout in Dartford assisting a 16-month old who had turned blue from lack of oxygen when the incident occurred, a professional standards panel has heard.

The health and care professionals tribunal service (HCPTS) was told how Edwards wrongly delegated the task of caring for the hypoxic young child to a non-clinician team member, whom he later asked to lie about the episode.

The tribunal heard that between him and a fellow South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) worker in the ambulance, Edwards was the more senior and should have treated the toddler.

However, en route to Darent Valley A&E on December 6, 2021, the paramedic elected to drive, and left the care of the “critically unwell” infant in the hands of a support worker.

The HCPTS report said Edwards’ colleague thought the young child’s condition might prove fatal.

“Colleague A described Patient 1 as being blue, limp, lifeless and he thought Patient 1 was near cardiac arrest.

“Colleague A said that it was quite common that where the deterioration of a patient was highly likely, that the paramedic should be in the back of the ambulance with them.”

The panel heard that on arrival at the hospital, Edwards then failed to maintain the toddler’s supply of oxygen by “not taking the time to ensure that the tubing was connected to a portable cylinder before taking Patient 1 into the hospital”.

At the time of the alleged incidents, the Edwards had a final written warning in place, which was live until February, 4, 2022, following a previous investigation by SECAmb into allegations of a similar nature.

The tribunal ruled that in acting as he did, Edwards put the toddler “at risk of serious harm by not having paramedic support in the ambulance should his condition suddenly deteriorate as it could so easily have done.

“[Edwards] also put Patient 1 at risk of serious harm by removing the supply of oxygen when Patient 1 was already struggling to breathe when transferring him on the short journey into the hospital.”

Edwards chose not to attend the tribunal hearing which concluded on October 21, but in his absence it heard how weeks after the incident he called his co-worker and pressured him to lie about what happened.

“Colleague A told the panel that during the conversation, [Edwards] said words to the effect of, “I need you to say you were attending”.

“Colleague A understood [Edwards] to be asking him to lie and say that he was driving, and that [Edwards] was in the back of the ambulance with Patient 1 during the transfer to hospital.”

“Colleague A said words to the effect of, ‘No, I remember the job quite well. I was in the back, I did it all”.

“Colleague A said he told [Edwards] that SECAmb would check the CCTV and realise that he had been in the back. [Edwards] hung up on him.”

Concluding its findings on this aspect of Edwards’ misconduct, the HCPTS report says: “In this case, the panel has found the registrant’s dishonesty to have been at the higher end of seriousness.

“It was a deliberate act by the registrant in an attempt to avoid almost certain dismissal.”

Edwards was suspended from SECAmb on January 21, 2022 while internal investigations into his behaviour were carried out.

The tribunal also heard during a separate incident, Edwards checked out controlled drugs and failed to return them - instead taking them to a pub after work.

The panel heard how at the end of his shift at Thameside ambulance station on December 23, 2021, Edwards returned vials of medicine to the drugs safe but that the paramedic left with two still in his possession.

The discrepancy in drug log books was swiftly noticed by an operational team leader worker who drove to the pub to collect the vials.

The report said: “The panel does not consider that the registrant deliberately took the two vials containing controlled drugs from Thameside station at the end of his shift. [Edwards’] behaviour on this occasion suggests a degree of laziness or sloppiness in relation to the return of controlled drugs.

“Because of the seriousness of controlled drugs going missing, his conduct amounts to serious misconduct.”

Finishing her submissions, Ms Kennedy - who presented the case against Edwards - referred to his lack of engagement with the proceedings. She said the registrant had shown no insight and had taken no steps to remedy his misconduct, and that there was a risk of repetition.

Ms Kennedy added that Edwards’ conduct had “brought the paramedic profession into disrepute”, had put Patient 1 at risk of harm, and put his junior colleague in a difficult situation when asking him to lie.

Stripping Edwards of his licence, the panel concluded: “In order to maintain public confidence in the paramedic profession and in its regulatory process, and to uphold proper standards of conduct in the profession, it is appropriate and proportionate to order that [Edwards’] name be struck off the register.”

A SECAmb spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this case. We took these concerns extremely seriously at the time and carried out a full investigation into this former member of staff. His actions fell far below the professional standards we expect and he was dismissed in May 2022.”