T he investigation revealed that the Practice Administrator abused their position to access medical records and create prescriptions for Tramadol to feed their addiction. After printing the prescriptions, they attempted to conceal their actions by cancelling and deleting the drug entries. However, audit trails exposed the full extent of the offending behaviour. A vigilant pharmacist recognised the individual as working at the GP Practice and alerted the Local Counter Fraud Team upon receiving a prescription intended for another person.
Former GP Practice Manager Handed Three-Year Sentence for Fraud Following an investigation conducted by NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHSCFS) Wales, a former GP Practice Manager has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by Swansea Crown Court for misappropriating £324,000 from the practice for personal gain. The individual had been employed at the Surgery since 2009, holding sole responsibility for the practice’s day- to-day financial operations, including payroll, locum payments, and settling supplier invoices. At the time of their suspension in 2022, their annual salary was approximately £45,000. The fraud came to light when financial documents surfaced at the surgery indicating a recent payment had been issued to a locum doctor who had not worked at the facility for several years. Alarmed by this discrepancy, one of the senior partners reported the matter to South Wales Police in March 2022, who subsequently referred it to NHSCFS Wales for comprehensive investigation. As part of the inquiry, an NHSCFS Wales Financial Investigator conducted a forensic analysis of the individual’s bank accounts, determining that the embezzled funds had been siphoned into their personal accounts and spent. In rendering the three-year custodial sentence, the presiding Judge remarked, “The impact of this sort of fraud is varied - emotional, practical and financial.” The former GP Practice Manager had entered a guilty plea in December to one count of Fraud by Abuse of Position. The Deputy Operational Fraud Manager at NHSCFS Wales stated, “The impact of their fraudulent actions are far reaching and have had significant impact on their former employer. They abused their position and the trust of their employers and colleagues for their own personal greed. NHSCFS Wales will now utilise its powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to recover the misappropriated funds and return them to the victims.” they added.
Anaesthetic Nurse Convicted for Defrauding Trust Due to Working Whilst Sick In May 2024, an anaesthetic nurse was found guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on five counts of fraud committed by working for a private agency while on sick leave from their substantive NHS role. The individual, employed as a team leader within the Trust’s operating theatres, undertook unauthorised employment during five separate periods of reported sickness absence. In doing so, they wrongfully received £18,174 in sick pay from the Trust, which additionally incurred £18,070 in costs to provide staffing cover for the shifts they had been scheduled but failed to attend. The total financial detriment to the NHS amounted to £36,244. The court imposed a Community Order spanning 18 months, accompanied by a 7-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, 200 hours of unpaid work, and a directive for the defendant to compensate their employer £2,400 within 12 months. In issuing the sentence, the presiding Judge remarked, “I feel that a Community Order can be justified, albeit a high level one.” The Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) commented, “’Working while sick’ frauds not only cause a financial loss but also, and perhaps more significantly, can impact patient care as wards are frequently unable to provide cover leaving staff short- handed. This in turn impacts upon stress levels and morale of those staff who do attend the workplace.”
The court acknowledged that fraud investigations within the NHS are
primarily funded by local NHS providers. Consequently, the sentenced Practice Administrator was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, participate in 25 days of Rehabilitation Activity, and pay £5,344 in compensation, including £4,558 towards the investigation costs.
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