The background is... I was a front line NHS paramedic till April 2017, when I left to become a Personal Independent Payment Disability Analyst. I had been signed off sick from the ambulance service I was working for since the January due to a shoulder injury and my mental health. I had my leaving/exit interview with some of my officers, where I told them at the end of it, that 'I am leaving broken by you both mentally and physically'. At this point, to me this is when I retired as a paramedic.
A few weeks after starting my new role as a Disability Analyst and with my ambulance service pension (when I am old enough for it) and no misconducts against me; I received a letter from my previous employer (the ambulance service), telling me that I had to self refer to my registration body or they would! Nice leaving present and final time to take a shot at me! I did refer myself and also left my Disability Analyst job in October 2017, due to hated the job so much! My registration body was meant to have a hearing in September 2018, which was adjourned for some reason, that I can't remember why; and 11 months after not using my registration.
By the time of the first hearing, I hadn't used and didn't want my registration any more,as I had been through so much physical and mental trauma in 2017. By this time I had been working, as a postie for about six months! Lovely stress free job, although if you ask a lot of them completely different opinions!
Anyway, my registration body had another hearing at the end of January 2019, I wanted to tell them where to stick their registration, but you can't as once you are into this process there is no way out! I did go to that hearing and was given a Conditions of Practice order. So what, I wasn't practising and wanted to get rid of them and my registration.
In January 2020 and 2021, I was suspended from practising as a paramedic, still didn't care! Especially as in November 2019, I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) by Orthopaedics; which Rheumatology confirmed in February 2020 as well as diagnosing me with Fibromyalgia to top it off; so body wasn't even fit to practice and my brain definitely wasn't, having been diagnosed with Complex PTSD in 2015, mainly from being a paramedic.
On the 19th July 2021, goodbye finally to my registration and I was struck off. I was so pleased my registration had gone, felt free from my past, set free by my registration body... thank you! This is how much I cared about it, it took a letter from them to tell me, I was no longer a paramedic!
This is why I always tell people when they ask what have had or do for work; I always say I am a retired paramedic, as I struck off 4 plus years after quitting the ambulance service and just under 4 years since leaving being a Disability Analyst. Do you think this is right I say I am retired or should I say I was struck off, or a combination of both?
I ask, as someone (I can give it a very educated guess as to where it came from) has been spreading gossip, rumours, whatever you want to call it, that I was struck off and didn't retire! The rumour has some people whom I thought were friends (up to a few weeks ago when it started) to say that I have lied to them and I didn't really retire as I was struck off. Bear in mind, that everything happened before I even knew these so called (no longer) friends; and they won't even let me explain the situation. So did this make the true friends in the first place or not?
Also, these no longer friends thought my retired paramedic skills were good enough to help them look after their sick child, write a Personal Independent Payment Appeal and Application for two different family members; and work out medication doses and their interactions when they were suffering, all within the past six months (most more recently) or so! Is this not double standards?
Having spoken to my two closest friends; one of which has been my best friend since we were 11 years old at school together and the other, I've known for 20 plus years. Both told me, that I retired first and as you didn't know these people at the time, it is none of their business. Are they both right? Plus my best friend added quite a few swear words about it, bless her! I also was chatting with another friend and she said 'why does everyone and anyone have to play life like they are part of a well known soap opera on the BBC'. She also said 'it is none of their business and you had retired with your pension and no misconduct against you. Shame your so called (no longer) friends can't see that and love the drama!. She added 'that one day in the future, they will see what they have lost and will need you more than you need them'. Do you think she's right?
They (ex friends) also bought up that my registration body had wanted me to go and do basic training, and that I won't. If I had wanted my registration, I would have wanted to go back to basics, as I had been off the front line for so long! It wasn't a case of I wouldn't, more a case of still not wanting my registration and didn't want to be paramedic any more! I was also told by them; that I didn't have any paramedic knowledge, I think two degrees in Paramedic Science and so many years on the road say different! Been OK for them when they have needed and wanted them!
They also told me that would have to tell the well known children's organisation I volunteer for about being struck off, which I did tell them everything and my leader was so lovely, understanding and supportive; and told me that everyone has a past, its how you are now is all that matters.
So the debate...
Should I have said I was struck off instead or retired or both?
Did I need to tell them anything about my past?
Doesn't everyone have a past and history?
Were they really true friends to start with?
Have I just served a purpose to them?
Are my friends right?
Is it any of their business in the first place?
Are people these days, too interested in other peoples lives instead taking care of their own failings and lives?
Should people just get on with their own lives and butt out of others?
When did society become so entitled to have to know everyone's business?
What do you think?
