A paramedic has been deregistered after falsely claiming her sister was gravely ill as an excuse to skip work, only for her sibling to publicly share pictures of her setting up Christmas decorations. Natalie Twomey informed her employers via email about her sister’s deteriorating health, stating she needed to rush to Norfolk to be by her side. However, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) discovered festive decoration images on her sister’s Facebook profile, contradicting Twomey’s fabricated account of the situation.
The Health and Care Professions Tribunal determined that Twomey misled her employer by fabricating a story for personal gain. Despite claiming her sister was in intensive therapy on November 28, evidence of Christmas decorations on social media revealed otherwise. Subsequently, the panel concluded that Twomey intentionally provided false information to justify her absence from work, leading to her dismissal.
Furthermore, Twomey faced additional scrutiny for failing to disclose work restrictions while renewing her registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). She misrepresented the reason for being on non-patient-facing duties and provided inaccurate information regarding her work hours. Following a series of disciplinary issues, including an incident involving alcohol at work and a subsequent driving offense, Twomey was permanently removed from the LAS and her professional registration was revoked due to misconduct.