Newcastle Paramedic Suspended Over Training Records

North East Ambulance Service paramedic has been suspended from practising for nine months following findings of serious dishonesty connected to training records.

Bogdan Volindan, who worked for the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, was found to have falsified entries in a training log-book relating to a course undertaken in 2023.

The case will be of interest across Newcastle and the wider North East, where NEAS provides emergency ambulance services, NHS 111 support and patient transport. The trust serves around 2.7 million people across a 3,230-square-mile area and employs more than 3,600 staff.

Training placement records were falsified.

The misconduct concerned a course requiring Volindan to complete a 60-hour placement supervised and signed off by a more experienced paramedic.

According to the tribunal findings reported in the case, entries were fabricated rather than the required placement hours being completed. The panel concluded that fictitious information, altered handwriting and forged signatures had been used in the log-book.

It considered the behaviour to be planned rather than an isolated mistake, with the dishonesty continuing despite opportunities to explain why the necessary placement hours had not been completed.

However, the tribunal also considered Volindan's subsequent apology and remorse when deciding what sanction was appropriate. The misconduct was regarded as serious, but the panel did not conclude that it was necessarily incompatible with him remaining in the paramedic profession in the longer term.

Previous sanction was reconsidered.

An earlier tribunal had imposed an 18-month conditions of practice order. That decision was subsequently challenged by the professional standards body in the High Court, leading to the sanction being reconsidered.

Following the review, a nine-month suspension was imposed. The tribunal considered temporary removal from the professional register necessary to reflect the seriousness of the misconduct, maintain confidence in the profession and uphold appropriate professional standards.

The suspension also gives Volindan an opportunity to demonstrate further insight and remediation before a future reviewing panel.

NEAS handles huge demand across Newcastle and the North East.

The case comes against the backdrop of substantial pressure on ambulance services. NEAS says it answered more than 1.475 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls during 2025/26. More than 298,000 patients were taken to hospital, while crews responded to over 40,444 Category 1 serious and life-threatening incidents.

Separate national figures underline the demands placed on NHS staff. NHS England reported in March 2026 that 14.47% of NHS employees responding to the latest staff survey had experienced physical violence from patients or members of the public during the previous 12 months.

For ambulance workers specifically, figures published through NEAS show 22,536 incidents of violence, aggression and abuse were recorded across UK ambulance services in 2024/25, up 14.8% on the previous year.

For Newcastle residents who depend on emergency services, cases involving professional standards can raise important questions about training, accountability and public confidence.

Share your thoughts.

What do you think about the nine-month suspension, and was it an appropriate sanction?