A paramedic working for the London Ambulance Service has been struck off the professional register after she dishonestly claimed her sister was seriously ill to get a day off work, a tribunal has ruled.
The Deception Uncovered on Social Media
The Health and Care Professions Tribunal heard that Natalie Twomey emailed her managers on 28 November 2022 to report she was sick. She stated her sister's health had "deteriorated again" and she needed to drive to Norfolk to be with her.
However, her story quickly unravelled when LAS staff discovered photographs on her sister's Facebook account. The images, posted on the same day, showed a house decorated for Christmas. The tribunal panel concluded this was "inconsistent" with the sister being so unwell that Ms Twomey needed to abandon her duties.
When confronted in a capability meeting in April 2023, Ms Twomey claimed her sister was in an Intensive Therapy Unit and that her sister's husband was responsible for the Facebook posts. The panel rejected this explanation, finding she had "deliberately provided misleading information to her employer to excuse her absence from work."
A Pattern of Dishonest Conduct
The tribunal heard this was not an isolated incident. Ms Twomey was moved from front-line duties in June 2023 after arriving at work smelling of alcohol. She later failed to inform the Health and Care Professions Council regulator about these practice restrictions when renewing her registration.
In a further act of deceit, she contacted the LAS recruitment department to discuss a secondment. She falsely claimed the reason for her non-patient facing role was a back and knee injury, not the alcohol-related restrictions.
Ms Twomey was dismissed from the London Ambulance Service at the end of 2023 due to "capability and failure to attend work regularly." Despite this, she later told a potential new employer she had never faced disciplinary action or been dismissed.
Driving Offence and Final Sanction
The paramedic's professional downfall was compounded by a criminal conviction. In April 2024, while working at a police investigation centre, an officer detected alcohol on her breath. She had driven to the site and was subsequently arrested.
Ms Twomey pleaded guilty at Ipswich Magistrates' Court to driving over the prescribed limit and was convicted of the motoring offence.
The tribunal panel considered all the evidence, including her false sick claim, providing incorrect information about her working hours, and failing to disclose ongoing investigations. They found her conduct was "sufficiently serious to amount to misconduct."
The panel concluded that the only appropriate and proportionate sanction was a striking-off order, removing her name from the HCPC register and ending her career as a paramedic.
