A paramedic has been struck off for telling a woman suffering a stroke to stop acting “like a baby” and accused of them of lying about their pain.
The Healthcare Professionals Tribunal Service heard Rachel Claire Lemonofides made “inappropriate and degrading” comments heard on a 999 call at the woman’s home in 2024.
It found Lemonofides was guilty of racially motivated discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and breached professional boundaries.
The patient underwent emergency surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, and was diagnosed with a brain bleed and abdominal aortic aneurysm. North West Ambulance Service said all patients were “entitled to be treated with dignity and respect”.
The service added: “There is no place within our organisation for colleagues who do not uphold those values.”
The tribunal was told the paramedic was one of a team of two who responded in January 2024 to a 999 call from the patient, who felt a sharp pain in her chest, “which became unbearable”.
Lemonofides’ colleague reported that the woman experienced lower back pain as well as discomfort and numbness to her right leg, the hearing was told.
Audio evidence supported allegations that she failed to recognise the seriousness of the patient’s condition.