A man who obtained work as a care assistant and mental health nurse using false documentation has been jailed for seven months at Wolverhampton Crown Court after an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (CFS) assisted by the UK Border Agency.
Richman Matinyadze, 37, of Falcon Way, Brierley Hill admitted four charges of possessing a false identity document with intent contrary to Section 25(1) of the Identity Cards Act 2006.
He received seven months’ imprisonment on each charge, to be served concurrently. Two passports and a Home Office letter were involved.
Matinyadze was granted temporary asylum in the United Kingdom in June 2006 on arrival from Zimbabwe, but was not entitled to seek work, paid or unpaid, or have recourse to public funds.
Judge John Warner gave him some credit for being a “good worker” but said: “What you did undermines the system operated in this country for controlling immigration.”
Counterfeit passport used to obtain work
In total, Matinyadze earned about GB pound 25,000 between December 2007 and November 2009 working for Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
He found work as a care assistant at a Healthcare Centre where he was paid GB pound 200 a week, but used a counterfeit passport to obtain the job. He later found work with the Trust as a nurse after producing a second false passport and a counterfeit Home Office letter dating from 2001 which falsely stated he had indefinite leave to remain in the UK and could work here.
Matinyadze deceived an agency, Healthcare Management Solutions, as well as the NHS to obtain one of the jobs.
Steve Guillon, West Midlands operational fraud manager at the NHS CFS, told SMT Online: “We will follow up any suspicion of fraud against the NHS that’s brought to our attention. Wherever appropriate, we will mount an investigation, pressing for prosecution and the strongest sanctions against offenders. It’s clearly important that all who work in the NHS are who they say they are.”
Prison dentist behind bars for GB pound 307,000 NHS fraud
Following an investigation by the NHS CFS, a former prison dentist has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 30 months’ imprisonment for committing a high value fraud against the NHS.
John Hudson, 58, of Highgate Lane, Broadley, Whitworth in Lancashire failed to declare he was already being paid by private healthcare companies for his work at a privately run prison when he secured, through lengthy negotiations, an NHS contract to deliver the same services.
The dentist went on to claim many payments from the (then) North Liverpool PCT for treating prisoners at Her Majesty’s Prison Altcourse in Liverpool.
Due to new regulations, Hudson had been required to go on the Performers List of North Liverpool PCT in 2004, and began receiving payments from the NHS’ Dental Services Division (on behalf of North Liverpool PCT) in 2005.
The dentist pleaded guilty to 27 counts of retaining wrongful credits contrary to Section 24A of the Theft Act 1968, worth GB pound 307,000 in total. These were paid to him by the newly-formed Liverpool PCT between May 2006 and July 2008 after he had obtained the contract by deception.
Enhancing the contract value
The fraud took place at a time when dentistry at Altcourse was subcontracted to a series of private healthcare providers. In August 2009, G4S (the company now managing the prison) started delivering it directly.
In the months following February 2006, the dentist persuaded Liverpool PCT to enhance the value of his annual contract to GB pound 136,000 for the delivery of 7,000 Units of Dental Activity.
Between December 2006 and December 2008, Hudson received GB pound 333,000 in payments from the NHS and GB pound 277,000 from his private employer, Medacs.
Hudson was excluded from HMP Altcourse in December 2008 following NHS CFS intervention. Patients received continuity of care as another dentist was immediately employed to replace him.
Pauline Smith, the North West operational fraud manager at the NHS CFS, commented: “NHS fraud is completely unacceptable. While the majority of NHS staff are honest, where fraud does occur the NHS Counter Fraud Service will investigate and press for strong sanctions against offenders. The sentence that John Hudson has received should act as a deterrent to others who might consider defrauding the NHS by abusing their positions of trust.”
Capsticks solicitors have been instructed to start a civil recovery process to try to recover up to GB pound 500,000 on behalf of the NHS CFS and the PCTs affected. This includes a loss to East Doncaster PCT of GB pound 32,000 which was not included in the criminal indictment.
As well as his prison dental contract, until recently Hudson ran his own conventional NHS practice at Whitworth, Rochdale within the East Lancashire PCT area.
Operating Department practitioner jailed for 15 months
A locum who defrauded a Newcastle hospital of over GB pound 23,000 by double charging it for his work has received a 15-month prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court after being investigated by the NHS CFS.
John Robert Cross, 50, of Gatherley Road, Brompton on Swale in North Yorkshire personally benefited from his dishonesty by GB pound 15,660, while the NHS’ total loss was GB pound 23,069 (including agency fees).
Cross pleaded guilty to two charges of false accounting contrary to Section 17 of the Theft Act 1968. One of these charges covered the full period from April to October 2009 that he worked at the Freeman Hospital for Newcastle upon Tyne’s NHS Foundation Trust.
Cross began work in April 2009 in the Central Operating Suite of the Freeman Hospital. He was employed as a locum Operating Department practitioner via an agency, Oasis Locums, and was obliged to submit weekly timesheets to the Trust and a copy to the agency.
Same role via another agency
In June last year, Cross obtained agreement from the Trust that he would continue in the same role but via another agency, Promedix. However, he then secretly began submitting timesheets for the same hours worked to both agencies, who in turn both invoiced the trust for payment.
At the Freeman Hospital, he covered his deception by faking the authorising signature of a senior Operating Department practitioner on his timesheets, and also stopped submitting copies to his line manager at the Trust.
In October 2009, the submission of dual timesheets was discovered by the directorate manager of the Central Operating Suite and Cross was asked to leave. In February this year, he was arrested at his home on behalf of the NHS CFS and detained in Northallerton Police Station.
Cross made immediate full and frank admissions to the offences, and in addition admitted forging timesheets while working in Sunderland Royal Infirmary for City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, but no loss to that Trust was detected.
Costs and compensation were requested but none awarded.
No dishonest persons in the operating theatre
Allan Carter, the head of operations at the NHS CFS, told SMT Online: “We’re pleased that the sentence reflects the gravity of Mr Cross’ premeditated fraud, which went on for a considerable time. The last place the public wants a dishonest person to work is in an operating theatre.”
Carter added: “The NHS Counter Fraud Service will follow up any suspicion of fraud reported to us and, where appropriate, launch an investigation. We press for the prosecution of offenders and the strongest sanctions to deter others who might do the same.”
John Cross, has been doing this since at least 1995. As far as I am aware. I witnessed his time sheet being signed off, by the boss at DKMH Catterick,. As working a forty plus hour week, yet he had been off for the full week. His Mate, who signed the time sheet was completely aware of this. He is also currently working as a registered ODP.