T he individual was found guilty of Fraud by Abuse of Position after making false claims for 185 shifts, which led to the receipt of £72,632.72 in wages and holiday pay. The defendant had previously pleaded guilty at a court appearance in November 2024. An investigation, conducted by the trust’s Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) with support from the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), determined that this person misused their role as both a nurse and ward manager at a mental health facility in Manchester. Due to their position as a manager, the individual had access to the shift booking system, enabling them to create, allocate, and approve extra shifts. Beginning in April 2020, this individual started generating backdated overtime shifts in their own name, subsequently submitting these to the NHS Staff Bank, which permits NHS staff to take on extra shifts beyond their contracted hours, ordinarily to address staffing shortages. The false claims primarily involved night shifts, which attract higher pay rates. As these fraudulent shifts were added retrospectively, they did not appear on standard rotas and therefore did not immediately arouse suspicion. This continued until October 2021.
In November 2021, anomalies were discovered regarding certain additional shifts claimed by this staff member, leading to their suspension and the initiation of a criminal investigation by the trust’s counter fraud specialist. The shifts in question were for a medium secure unit, where biometric data is required for staff access. The investigation cross-referenced work claims with entry and exit records, revealing that the staff member was not present on site during any of the shifts cited for payment. This resulted in dismissal for gross misconduct. The former nurse’s employer referred the case to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which has since suspended this individual, prohibiting them from working as a nurse. A representative from the trust’s anti- fraud team welcomed the result and sentence, highlighting the significance of the fraud and its impact on NHS resources. The internal processes have been reviewed with the relevant staffing agency to help prevent similar issues arising.
COUNTER FRAUD | SCRUTTON BLAND | 5
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