Leading Tasmanian paramedic’s ‘impetuous’ decision about baby overdose in ambulance

A senior paramedic who lied about the accidental overdosing of a three-month-old baby in an ambulance says his ‘soul was destroyed’ that day. A tribunal has now determined his fate.

Ambulance Tasmania file photo, Hobart, August 25, 2021.

A senior paramedic who lied about the accidental overdosing of a three-month-old baby in an ambulance, after an apparent cardiac arrest, has been disqualified from practice.

Peter Hampton, who worked as a paramedic for 38 years including as a rescue helicopter and intensive care paramedic, never returned to work since the ordeal – saying “my soul was destroyed the day this happened”.

Instead of the baby receiving 0.09ml of a powerful anti-seizure medication, which equated to 0.45mg, the infant received 0.45ml – five times the correct dose.

The baby, who had been born premature, survived the incident.

Mr Hampton said after knowingly misleading emergency department staff about the amount of drugs the baby had received, he returned on his own and watched the baby from the curtains to ensure the infant was safe.

In a newly-published decision, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal said the incident unfolded on the night of December 29, 2019, when an ambulance was called to a West Hobart address.

Two crews were dispatched, finding the baby – who had been hospitalised since birth and only discharged 24 hours prior – in a possible cardiac arrest and experiencing seizures.

Mr Hampton had only just returned home after an 11 ½ hour intensive care paramedic shift when he was paged to attend the baby’s case.

Meeting the crews in Hobart, Mr Hampton boarded the ambulance when other paramedics administered midazolam – a sedative used for seizures – to the baby.

“He did not check the dosage. He trusted the calculations done by the other paramedics in the ambulance,” tribunal deputy president Alison Clues said.

After the baby was handed over to the Royal Hobart Hospital emergency department, the other paramedics realised an error had been made and told Mr Hampton.

Mr Hampton told the paramedics he would report the mistake to the emergency department treating staff, but in fact told them the baby had been given two 0.45mg doses of midazolam.

After this, the tribunal also stated that Mr Hampton told a junior paramedic to record the same false information in the Ambulance Tasmania electronic patient care record.

In an investigation undertaken by his employer, Mr Hampton said the paramedic crew had wanted to tell hospital staff of the error “in order to safeguard the patient for further doses”.

He entered back into the emergency department on his own, stood at the curtains and watched the baby – noting they were stable, had no change in heart rate, and were being observed intently by their mother.

“To be very clear – the baby was safe,” he said.

Mr Hampton admits he knowingly gave false information to the emergency department, and directed a junior staff member to falsify clinical records.

However he said he hadn’t wanted to portray the paramedic crew as incompetent and spark a “long, laborious clinical examination” of what had happened.

The other crew members were not accused of wrongdoing.

Mr Hampton said the choice he’d made had been “a silly impetuous decision”, and one he now regretted.

Ms Clues said the conduct constituted professional misconduct.

She ordered Mr Hampton be reprimanded, disqualified from applying for registration for two years, and prohibited from providing any health service for the same length of time.

Mr Hampton, who was described as having an “exemplary and very lengthy record of service with Ambulance Tasmania”, said he had no intentions to practise again as a health professional or paramedic.

Follow @ambervwilson

Originally published as Leading Tasmanian paramedic’s ‘impetuous’ decision about baby overdose in ambulance