Rachel Lemonofides
Introduction
Rachel Lemonofides is a former paramedic with North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), the trust that serves Salford, who was struck off the register after a Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) hearing found she had taunted a woman suffering a life-threatening medical emergency with racially motivated comments. The panel heard she told the patient she was being “dramatic” and repeatedly asked her housemate if she believed in “black magic” as the seriously unwell woman lay in bed in excruciating pain. Over a visit lasting nearly two hours she accused the patient of lying about her illness before eventually taking her to hospital, where staff found she had suffered a stroke and a burst aorta.
Background Information
Lemonofides worked as a paramedic for North West Ambulance Service, which serves Salford. The incident began when the patient, who was at her home preparing to go to work, felt a sharp pain in her chest which became unbearable and directed two of her housemates — referred to in the hearing as Witness 4 and Witness 6 — to call an ambulance.
Lemonofides arrived at the property at 8.21 am, responding to a 999 call explaining that the patient was experiencing pain in her throat, chest and back as well as a high temperature. When the paramedics entered the house, the patient told Lemonofides’ colleague that her lower back was hurting and her right leg felt uncomfortable or numb. The hearing was told she spent nearly two hours at the address with that colleague, during which she accused the patient of lying about her illness before eventually taking her to hospital.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Adjudicated regulatory findings. An HCPTS panel found the discriminatory abuse and the failure to treat a deteriorating patient proved and struck Lemonofides off the register. These are tribunal findings, not criminal charges.
The panel found that instead of considering the patient’s symptoms and her “debilitated state and loud groans” as cause for concern, Lemonofides decided the patient did not require urgent treatment. She called the patient “dramatic”, shouted at the unwell woman to “act your age”, and told her: “Stop being a baby, many people need this ambulance, we will tell your employer that you are being funny.” She also threatened to tell the patient’s employer she was being disruptive.
A separate strand of findings concerned discrimination. Lemonofides made comments about the patient acting “possessed” and asked Witness 6 if she practised “black magic”. All four witnesses were left shocked by these comments, with the patient, Witness 4 and Witness 6 believing they were discriminatory based on the patient’s race and ethnicity.
The patient was eventually taken to hospital, where staff informed her she had a blood clot on the brain that caused a stroke and that her aorta had burst. She was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital for emergency surgery and spent time in intensive care. Lemonofides’ colleague recalled how she said that if the incident had been filmed, “you would watch it back and laugh at it.”
A colleague complained about her behaviour on 13 January 2024, followed by a written complaint from a relative of the patient two days later. She was subsequently restricted from working on 5 March 2024 and was dismissed by North West Ambulance Service on 11 July 2024 following an investigation into her conduct. However, she failed to notify the HCPC of her dismissal as soon as possible, despite being required to do so.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The panel agreed that Lemonofides acted in an “abhorrent way”, showing a lack of dignity and respect for a patient who was subjected to “unacceptable” treatment over a drawn-out period, and concluded she showed hostility and a discriminatory attitude towards the patient’s racial group, acting in a grossly unprofessional manner.
Simon Maughan, representing the Health and Care Professions Council, said that Lemonofides had allowed her personal biases to affect the care she gave to the patient, and that her behaviour after arriving at the address exposed the patient to an “obvious risk of significant physical harm, in addition to mental harm”. He added that her behaviour would make people “unlikely to be able to place trust and confidence” in paramedics to carry out their role.
The panel said that Lemonofides had failed to take accountability for her role in the incident. It agreed that, while the incident began as a single visit to the patient’s address, it could not be viewed as a single lapse because it continued for nearly two hours, was followed by an inappropriate remark to a colleague that appeared to minimise the incident, and was compounded by her failure to report the restrictions on her practice and her dismissal to the HCPC.
Current Status
Lemonofides was struck off the register after the panel found she was guilty of serious misconduct.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The striking-off ended Lemonofides’ career as a paramedic. She had already been dismissed by North West Ambulance Service on 11 July 2024 following an investigation into her conduct, and the HCPTS panel’s finding of serious misconduct removed her from the register, barring her from practising as a paramedic.