NHS paramedic suspended after offering out meth to people over social media

A paramedic has been suspended after giving ketamine to a patient without authorisation - and trying to distribute meth over social media.

Simon Standen was working as a consultant paramedic for Yorkshire Ambulance Services NHS Trust between July 2016 and July 2021. It emerged that at an incident on April 3 2018, where a 60-year-old man suffered a head injury in a road traffic collision, Standen administered ketamine - without having authorisation to do so.

He told the panel he believed he was authorised to administer the drug.

But on October 5 2021, Standen was convicted of offering to supply a class A drug between March 2021 and July 2021, and possession of a class A drug in July 2020. Evidence given to the panel indicated that Standen was trying to give people methylamphetamine through social media.

After raiding his home, police found 431g of methylamphetamine .

The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service report read: "The police examined a large number of messages exchanged by Standen, on a social networking and online dating application, including, but not limited to those on a fake account set up by a former partner.

"On a number of occasions, over a five-month period, Standen offered to supply methylamphetamine to people he intended to meet and have sex with. On more than one occasion he offered to inject the drug.

"On one occasion, in a message on the fake account he offered to inject the person he was messaging, and said he had done so before and added "yes - I'm also a paramedic so needles in the veins are key skills lol". There is no suggestion that Standen actually supplied drugs for money and no evidence that he actually provided the drug or injected anyone."

For his crimes, Standen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment - suspended for 12 months.

In a submission to the panel, it was reported that Standen "was deeply remorseful" for his actions. He has been suspended for 12 months.