TranslateExamples of NHS Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Cases
It’s only a minority of people that commit NHS fraud, bribery and corruption but they can have a serious impact on the NHS. Here’s a few examples of real cases to illustrate some types of offences that are committed, and the serious consequences:
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Consultant Radiologist sentenced for £24,000 overtime fraud. John Coffey reviewed hundreds of x-rays during his normal working day, but waited until after 5pm to enter the work on the NHS system, thereby triggering overtime payments. Following an MIAA investigation, Mr Coffey was sentenced in court to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, plus 200 hours of unpaid work, and costs of £14,600. He was also suspended for practising for 12 months by the GMC.
Former Southport & Ormskirk Hospital Health Care Assistant pleads guilty to fraud offences. Joseph Wilson lied about the deaths of three family members to falsely claim almost a year’s paid absence between 2012 and 2015. Following an MIAA investigation, Mr Wilson was sentenced in court to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, plus 240 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay the Trust £5,000 in compensation.
Merseyside nurse lied to GPs and NHS out of hours services to obtain painkillers which she was addicted to. Jennifer Peters posed as her friend, mother-in-law, and her own mother in an attempt to obtain drugs. Following an MIAA investigation, Peters admitted to five charges of fraud, and at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court was handed a 40-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work, complete 10 days of Rehabilitation Activity Requirements, pay £85 costs, and a £140 victim surcharge.
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust Manager jailed for ordering and selling £160,000 worth of printer cartridges. Madeline Webster defrauded her Trust for years, by ordering extra printer cartridges, stealing them, and then selling them on auction websites. Liverpool Crown Court sent her to prison for 26 months, along with her husband, who assisted her in selling the cartridges.
Nurse receives 16 month prison sentence for working whilst off sick. Vivian Coker, a nurse at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, had been off sick for almost 2 years, but worked for two recruitment agencies during this time, whilst still being paid in excess of £32,000 from her substantive post during her ‘sick leave’. Coker was dismissed by the Trust, struck off by the NMC and received a 16 month prison sentence.
Surgeon jailed for fraud for 6 years for lying at job interview about the number of operations he had carried out. Sudip Sarker lied to an interview panel at a Redditch hospital about the ‘85’ keyhole procedures he had conducted – the true figure was just 6. Linked to 4 patient deaths, and high patient complication rate, resulting in a £2M negligence bill for the Trust. While in prison, a Proceeds of Crime (POCA) hearing was held and a confiscation order was made ordering Sarker to pay £337,214 in compensation to the NHS on his release or face a further three years and eight months in prison. He was told he would be stripped of his assets to recover the cost of the salary he should never have received in the first place.
Former NHS England Equality Lead and also CEO of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, Paula Vasco-Knight CBE, and her husband Stephen Vasco-Knight, sentenced for NHS fraud. Paula Vasco-Knight authorised an £11,072 false invoice which was submitted from her husband’s graphic design business for work that was never commissioned or carried out, but which South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust paid for. Mrs Vasko-Knight failed to declare to the Trust that she had an interest in her husband’s company. Both pleaded guilty to fraud offences. Mrs Vasko-Knight was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, plus 250 hours of unpaid work. Her husband was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, plus 150 hours of unpaid work. They were both ordered to pay back the £11,072 or face a 6 week prison sentence.
NHS Dentist conwoman who swindled NHS out of £1.4 million ordered to pay it all back. Joyce Trail from the West Midlands was jailed for six and a half years for falsely claiming for dental work not undertaken. She submitted 100 claims for dead patients, and submitted triple claims for other patients. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Warwick Crown Court ordered Trail to repay it all back to the NHS via a compensation order.
Deportation recommended by a Judge for a woman who provided false ID to secure work as an NHS Student Nurse, and also hands her a 16 month prison sentence. During the investigation, passports and other identity documents were tested and found to be false, forged and improperly obtained. The offender was found guilty of four offences under the Fraud Act 2006 and Identity Documents Act 2010 – as well as a jail sentence, she was ordered to pay a victim surcharge, and the Judge recommended deportation.
NHS IT Director took bribes from a Trust supplier in return for a £950,000 contract – prison sentences for both. Peter Lewis was the Director of Informatics at the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; his responsibilities included managing of finances and awarding contracts. Richard Moxon agreed to give Lewis £80,000 in corrupt payments in exchange for being awarded a contract to supply software that recorded accident and emergency data at the Trust; 40% of the products supplied by Moxon did not fulfil the needs of the Trust. Lewis was jailed for three and a half years, Moxon for 14 months.
Former NHS Associate Director of Capital and Development, Royston Dyke, jailed for 4 years 8 months after masterminding £665,013 scam against Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Dyke signed off 204 contractor invoices, the majority of which related to work for the Trust that had never taken place. The two contractors used were run by 3 friends of Dyke. All 4 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. Dyke received a 4 years 8 months sentence; while his 3 friends were sentenced to 3 years, 4 years, & 16 months. Dyke was also sentenced for 3 months for failing to declare to the Trust that he had a criminal conviction and a police caution. Dyke will also lose his NHS Pension.
Fraudster who stole £24.5k purporting to be an NHS Supplier jailed for 12 months. Ronel Kiyanga falsely claimed to be from a genuine supplier’s finance department, and requested that future payments from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust to be made into a new bank account which he controlled. The fraud was uncovered when the genuine supplier contacted the Trust to tell them that a payment had not arrived in their account.
