A Tasmanian paramedic has been officially reprimanded after refusing to attend what turned out to be a fatal crash while on duty, amid a dispute between Ambulance Tasmania and a union over travel allowances.
The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) found Andrew Thomas Mansell engaged in professional misconduct when he failed to respond to a Priority 0 emergency call, the highest level of urgency, while working in Smithton on February 14, 2021.
Tribunal documents show Mansell received the call at 2:48pm for a crash around 15 minutes away.
Despite his shift not ending until 5pm, he informed dispatch four minutes later that he would not attend, as he was preparing to return to Devonport.
Mansell was unaware the incident involved a fatality when he refused to attend, tribunal documents show. As a result, the acting duty manager was forced to respond from nearly an hour away.
TASCAT ruled that Mansell had clearly breached the Paramedics Code of Conduct, particularly clauses requiring practitioners to “make the care of patients their first concern” and provide assistance in emergencies.
“Taking into account the respondent’s admitted conduct in not attending this incident, the fact that he was unaware it was a fatality at the time he refused to attend and the fact that he has no relevant notification or disciplinary history, I am satisfied that a reprimand of the respondent is required,” the tribunal stated.
The incident took place during an ongoing industrial dispute, with the Health and Community Services Union advising members not to travel without appropriate allowances weeks earlier.
Following an investigation, the Paramedicine Board of Australia referred the case to TASCAT, which handed down its decision late last month.
Mansell’s employment with Ambulance Tasmania was terminated on April 21, 2022 over the incident and his paramedic registration lapsed in November 2022 when he did not renew it.
