A paramedic has been struck off after he was found guilty of stealing an estimated £3,000 worth of medical equipment from the during the and attempting to sell it on Rainer Morgan-Kavanaugh, who was described as ‘highly qualified’, stole items including an oxygen canister and a heart monitor from a storeroom, leaving ambulances without vital equipment, a disciplinary panel heard.
The alarm was first raised by a colleague over missing equipment before police searched Morgan-Kavanaugh’s home and discovered one of the stolen items in his garage. He was later convicted of the theft and handed a two-year suspended sentence for his ‘unforgivable’ actions.
Now, he has been expelled from the profession after the panel concluded that he had ‘deprived service users’ of equipment at a time when it was ‘needed more than ever’. The Health and Care Professions tribunal, held online, heard that concerns about equipment theft were first raised with the South West Ambulance Service in May 2020 by another member of staff.
The case was eventually referred to the police who searched Morgan-Kavanaugh’s home and found an ECG machine that belonged to the ambulance service. Morgan-Kavanaugh resigned from the South West Ambulance Service in February 2022.
He then pled guilty to a single count of theft at Plymouth Crown Court, Devon, in January 2024, reports
The paramedic stole thousands of pounds worth of items (Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
During a sentencing hearing in March 2024, Plymouth Crown Court learned of the shocking betrayal by a paramedic who lifted an ECG machine and various medical equipment worth £2,996.40 between July 2019 and September 2020. Morgan-Kavanaugh received a suspended sentence of two years behind bars, was mandated to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, attend 14 rehabilitation days, undergo a mental health treatment review, and must reimburse the NHS £3,000 in compensation.
In a severe admonishment, Judge Robert Linford condemned the egregious breach of trust, noting the ex-paramedic’s role during the relentless strains of the pandemic, stating: “That single count of theft reflected a terrible betrayal of trust that was reposed in you, you were a paramedic, a really highly qualified person, doing a very high pressure job in appallingly stressful circumstances, of that there can be no doubt.”
“You were a paramedic through the period of the pandemic. But in breach of trust, in savage breach of trust you stole property valued at about £3,000 from the trust. You did it by going into a storeroom at the, or near to the hospital, taking this property and selling or trying to sell it on eBay. It is unforgivable that it was being done at a time when the country needed this equipment more than it ever had.”
Among the stolen items were an oxygen canister and ECG machine (Image: undefined)
In a reckless act during the crisis, paramedic Morgan-Kavanaugh was referred to the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) in January 2023 by South West Ambulance Service for pinching crucial gear. HCPC’s Jamila Bernard-Stevenson told the hearing that the medic nicked ‘important items’, leaving patients and colleagues without essential kit.
The panel said: “The theft, particularly of the oxygen cannister, which occurred during the pandemic, deprived service users of access to that equipment which had the potential to cause harm.”
“The Panel took into account that for an ambulance to be utilised it has to have the correct equipment and theft of such equipment from the store room, has the potential to impact on an ambulance being deployed. In turn this has the potential to cause harm to any service user who requires that medical support.”
They concluded that booting Morgan-Kavanaugh off the register was vital to keep trust in paramedics after his ‘horrific’ breach of trust at a moment when the NHS was desperate for medical supplies. “It involved a terrible and ‘savage breach of trust’ at a time when the country needed medical equipment more than it ever had. The Panel was satisfied, based on the nature and gravity of the conviction, together with [Morgan-Kavanaugh’s] lack of insight, that a Striking Off Order was necessary to protect the public, uphold the standards for members of the profession, and to maintain public confidence in the profession.”