A PARAMEDIC, who ignored an emergency call to a dying woman and then claimed his ambulance had broken down, has been struck off. The 90-year-old woman was dead by the time Hatfield ambulance man Patrick Rodgers arrived 26 minutes later. A Health Profess

A PARAMEDIC, who ignored an emergency call to a dying woman and then claimed his ambulance had broken down, has been struck off.

The 90-year-old woman was dead by the time Hatfield ambulance man Patrick Rodgers arrived 26 minutes later.

A Health Professions Council (HPC) hearing was told last Friday, radio operators tried to contact Rodgers on seven occasions but could not get through.

Rodgers, who worked for the London Ambulance Service, then lied, telling staff at the call centre he was on his way, but he waiting for police to arrive at the victim's home before setting off from the Enfield-based ambulance station.

Sophie Kemp, for the HPC, said Rodgers was working from 7pm to 7am on March 9, 2008 when the 999 call came through.

She said: "He was called to attend a 90-year-old patient.

"There was a question mark whether she had collapsed behind a locked door.

"He went on to say, he wished to be informed when police were on their way as, 'there was not much point sitting around for hours waiting for them to arrive'."

Rodgers and his colleague Victoria Stewart, an emergency technician, got to the scene three miles away 26 minutes after the call came through.

He later claimed the ambulance failed to start properly and said a data terminal in the ambulance 'had gone blank twice', the hearing heard.

In a witness statement Ms Stewart said Rodgers had lied to her about the emergency and problems with the ambulance.

Rodgers, who has worked as a paramedic for 20 years, neither admitted or denied the charges of failing to respond to an emergency call; withholding treatment to a patient; misleading a radio operator into believing he was on his way; and telling Ms Stewart they could wait at the station.

He was also charged with misconduct and impairment.

Rodgers did not attend the hearing having already resigned.

Christine Mills, chairman of the HPC hearing, said his conduct undermined public confidence and brought the paramedic profession into disrepute.

Rodgers was banned from practising for life.