A paramedic has been struck off after a tribunal found she subjected a critically ill woman to a shocking barrage of insults, told her “Jesus and Jehovah are not coming to help you,” and refused to help her down the stairs as she suffered a life-threatening medical emergency.
Rachel Lemonofides, a former paramedic with Britain’s North West Ambulance Service, was accused of repeatedly berating the woman during a 999 emergency call on Jan. 11, 2024.
The patient had called for help after suddenly suffering severe chest pain while getting ready for work.
But instead of being treated as a medical emergency, the woman was allegedly accused of acting “like a baby,” behaving “ridiculously” and wasting the ambulance crew’s time.
She was later diagnosed with devastating conditions, including a brain bleed that caused a stroke and a potentially deadly problem with her aorta.
The tribunal heard the woman had been experiencing “severe and excruciating” pain and was ultimately told she faced a 50 percent chance of surviving emergency surgery for an aortic dissection.
Yet Lemonofides allegedly dismissed her condition at the scene.
“You are not dying, you have got a bad back,” she told the patient, according to evidence presented to the tribunal.
At another point, she allegedly said: “You are lying, stop what you are doing, stop being a baby, let’s go downstairs.”
The tribunal found that Lemonofides made as many as 31 inappropriate comments during the encounter.
Among them were: “This is like a child now,” “You are stuck on the floor like a child,” and “I am really mad now because people are waiting for this ambulance and you are acting like a child.”
She also allegedly told the woman she was behaving “as though you have had your leg ripped off” and accused her of “absolutely ridiculous behaviour.”
One of the most disturbing moments came when the patient reportedly asked for help getting downstairs.
According to the tribunal, Lemonofides refused.
The critically ill woman was forced to crawl down the stairs because she was unable to walk.
One of the patient’s housemates said they watched the woman reach out her hand and ask Lemonofides for assistance, only for the paramedic to physically move away.
“I’m not going to help you,” Lemonofides allegedly said.
The crew spent 104 minutes at the home before finally transporting the woman to a hospital.
Recordings from the incident reportedly captured the patient crying out in pain repeatedly as Lemonofides continued to scold her.
The paramedic also allegedly told the woman she was “wasting time and making a scene,” threatened to contact her employer and said: “You have 60 seconds to get up or we are leaving.”
At another point she allegedly declared: “We can’t take you to the hospital because your condition is not that serious.”
The tribunal also examined comments it determined were discriminatory and racially motivated.
Lemonofides allegedly asked whether the patient believed in “black magic” and said she was “behaving as if you are possessed.”
When the woman cried out in her native language, Lemonofides could allegedly be heard saying, “stop with this nonsense.”
Witnesses, including the patient’s housemates and Lemonofides’ colleagues, said they were shocked by the remarks.
The tribunal noted that Lemonofides treated two white female patients on other calls that same day and did not behave toward them in the same manner.
The panel ultimately concluded it was “more likely than not” that her conduct toward the woman was discriminatory on the grounds of ethnicity.
It also found that her remarks about black magic and possession were intended to reference the patient’s race and demonstrated hostility or a discriminatory attitude.
Lemonofides admitted making the comments but denied they were discriminatory or racially motivated.
She was not present at the tribunal hearing.
The panel described her treatment of the patient in blistering terms, calling her conduct “abhorrent” and citing a “distinct lack of dignity and respect” along with an absence of empathy or compassion.
The tribunal also found that Lemonofides failed to recognize the seriousness of the woman’s medical condition.
She allegedly told a colleague after the incident: “If it had been filmed, you would watch it back and laugh at it.”
That allegation was also found proven.
Lemonofides, who is also a British Army reservist with the rank of staff sergeant, had already been dismissed by North West Ambulance Service in July 2024.
She has now been removed from the paramedic register.
North West Ambulance Service said she no longer works for the organization.
“All of our patients are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect and there is no place within our organisation for colleagues who do not uphold those values,” a spokesperson said.
The British Army declined to discuss Lemonofides’ personal employment information, citing privacy obligations.
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