A disgraced paramedic struck off the register for shoplifting from Boots has been providing ambulance cover for the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS).
Michael Penney was only struck off in June 2021 but within months had started a new private ambulance business MCP Medical and has been cleared to work with the NIAS as well as the HSC Public Health Agency.
But in a damning ruling by the regulator that struck him off just three years ago, it was stated they believed Michael Penney “may pose a risk to patients in his role as a paramedic”.
Yet he’s on an approved list to provide hospital transportation and other medical services which was cleared by the Procurement and Logistics Service, commonly known as PaLS.
The ambulance worker, who pinched £160 worth of goods while on duty in his NIAS uniform, has been going around businesses and daycare centres teaching first aid courses.
Michael Penney was struck off in June 2021
He has covered major sporting events, including amateur boxing, and he’s even brought his fleet of ambulances to Stormont to promote his private business and just months after being struck off he took part in a healthy heart campaign with the public health agency at a Tesco’s supermarket.
Earlier this year he introduced, what he says, is the first ‘Motorcycle Ambulance’ which he showcased at a local motor racing event.
MCP (Michael Connor Penney) Medical states on their website: “MCP Medical provides high quality, professional training, event cover, patient transport to businesses and individuals throughout Northern Ireland.
“We are also approved by the HSCNI and provide additional support to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.”
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service refused to comment, saying: “The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service does not comment on matters pertaining to individual employees, past or present.”
But a Sunday World source said: “Michael Penney was struck off from working as a paramedic in 2021 and the ruling was scathing of his behaviour and said he poses a potential risk to patients so how come he’s back in a contractor capacity?
Read more
“What has changed in those three years that has convinced the NHS he’s fit to work with vulnerable patients again? As far as we are aware nothing.”
A ruling, which is publicly accessible on the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service, showed the details of Mr Penney being struck off the register.
Michael Penney resigned from the NIAS while he was under investigation but the regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), took the “last resort” decision to impose a striking off order in June 2021 at a virtual hearing, which Mr Penney did not attend.
Michael Penney was struck off in June 2021
According to the tribunal report, Mr Penney was in uniform when he went into the Boots store at Donegall Place in Belfast in December 2015 and left with items in a plastic bag which he didn’t pay for.
Penney, who was working in Ardoyne station, drove back to base where bosses questioned him after being tipped off about the theft, as he was captured on CCTV.
He said he had “no recollection of being in Boots” but later found the items on the back seat of his ambulance Rapid Response Vehicle.
Penney received a police caution in March 2016. He tried to appeal it but failed.
By 2021 he had been suspended from the register for almost two years following separate professional misconduct hearings.
At the hearing, the HCPC panel stated he failed to show evidence he has “developed sufficient insight” into the theft or “taken steps to remedy his conduct”.
In its ruling, the regulator also warned there remained “a risk of repetition” and noted he had resigned for the ambulance service in March.
He had also requested to be “removed” from the register.
They raised further concerns that Penney linked his failure to recollect the theft to a “health condition”.
“There is no evidence that, if such a health condition existed, the registrant has sought to take steps to manage it,” the hearing was told.
“In these circumstances, the Panel considers that the registrant may pose a risk to patients in his role as a paramedic…”
At an earlier hearing in 2019 a consultant psychiatrist who assessed Penney said he had a number of views about his “claimed amnesia of the incident” – including the fact he may have experienced a lack of concentration and been “absent-minded”.
However, the psychiatrist “could not rule out the possibility” that he was “simply being dishonest”.
At the final review hearing on May 26, the HCPC said that in order “to uphold proper standards and maintain confidence in the paramedic profession”, a striking off order was the most appropriate sanction.
“The Panel is satisfied that a fair minded and well-informed member of the public would be concerned if there was no finding of impairment in this case where the registrant has not demonstrated proper insight, remorse, or taken any steps to remedy the conduct which led to his caution.”
They added: “A striking off order is likely to be appropriate where the nature and gravity of the concerns are such that any lesser sanction would be insufficient to protect the public, public confidence in the profession and public confidence in the regulatory process.”
Since that damning verdict Michael Penney has reinvented himself and started up a successful business along with another man who, along with him, is listed on Companies House as a director of the firm.
According to their website: “At MCP Medical, we are dedicated to providing exceptional care and support to communities across the region. Established in 2022, MCP Medical has rapidly grown to become a trusted provider of ambulance services, offering a range of essential services including event cover, patient transport, and frontline emergency service support.
“Our team comprises highly skilled and compassionate healthcare professionals who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of those we serve.
“As an HSCNI approved Ambulance Service, MCP Medical adheres to the highest standards of quality and safety, ensuring that every patient receives the care and attention they deserve. Whether we’re providing medical assistance at public events, transporting patients to healthcare facilities, or supporting frontline emergency services, our focus remains firmly on delivering superior service with compassion and integrity.”
And they also say: “We operate 365 days a year covering NHS Patient Transport and also provide Private Hospital & Medical Appointment Transfers. We also give the ability for those who need travel, whom may require specialist assistance the freedom to get from A to B knowing they are in safe hands.”
Michael Penney and MCP Medical have been contacted and asked if they wanted to comment.