Lights, camera, disciplinary action?

There seldom appears to be a day go by without the opportunity to watch ourselves or colleagues in the latest episode of ‘Emergency Hero Rescues’ or similar ‘real life’ television programmes. However, the growth of such shows and inherent public interest in the emergency services brings to light the question of whether such media coverage is of benefit or risk to our profession.

For many of us, watching such programmes is a guilty pleasure, we don't want to watch, but are strangely drawn to them. How many times have you found yourself ‘tutting’ at the TV or shaking your head pointing out the error of our peer's actions? Regardless of our reactions to such programmes, public interest is difficult to deny and as such, television coverage of prehospital care is a subject for careful consideration.

Only recently I watched, with interest, a programme that showed a paramedic crew attending a ‘critical’ patient (cue dramatic music) to see the paramedic driving the vehicle away using blue lights and sirens and the ambulance technician providing the clinical care. Surely this is as an abdication of clinical responsibility by the paramedic concerned with a potential breach of the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (Health Professions Council (HPC) 2008)?