Following our cover article in the February print issue of Professional Security Magazine, about the recession. One aspect may be more fraud, as people try to keep up a lifestyle or pay off debts; or, for whatever motvies, lie about their background or qualifications to get a job.
In the National Health Service, for example, HR manager Attah Okoji was on January 8 handed a six-month suspended jail sentence at Newcastle Crown Court for lying about his criminal convictions to get a job in England’s largest mental health trust – the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Trust.<br><br>Separately on January 6, Lee Joseph Whitehead, a former director of planning and service modernisation at NHS Stoke on Trent, was sentenced to 12 weeks in custody for adding psychology qualifications to his cv.<br><br>Both men were separately investigated by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS).<br><br>Okoji, 41, of Montrose Crescent, Gateshead, received a six month jail sentence suspended for 12 months, a 12 month supervision order, a 100 hour community punishment order and a 19 day thinking skills course. He was charged with one count of fraud following a joint investigation by NHS CFS and Northumbria Police. He had lied to an employment agency to gain work as a temporary assistant human resources manager at St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth.<br><br>Head of Operations at CFS, Allan Carter, said: “We circulated a national fraud alert about Okoji’s previous criminal activity in the NHS to all NHS Trusts. As a result further checks were carried out on his appointment details. There is no evidence that he has used his position to steal from the NHS this time, but having consistently lied to gain employment, he could find himself back behind bars if he reoffends.”<br><br>Following Okoji’s conviction (on December 10, 2008) the court was told that in 2001 he used his employment as an NHS finance officer to divert a payment of £16,000 into his own bank account, for which he received 6 months imprisonment. In 2004 he was also convicted of gaining a pecuniary advantage by getting a job with a Leeds health body by failing to declare his previous convictions. That investigation also showed he had forged his references and submitted false qualifications, for which he was sentenced to community service.<br><br>Lee Joseph Whitehead, 44, of White End Park, Buckinghamshire, had listed his degree qualifications as a BSc Honours (Psychology), an MSc (Clinical Psychology) and claimed that he held a Doctorate in Psychology. He also stated that he was a Chartered Psychologist and a full member of the British Psychological Society. In fact he only held his BSc in Psychology. CFS Head of Operations, Allan Carter said: "Some people think it is OK to bend the truth or fabricate qualifications on a CV. It is not. It is particularly unacceptable when those qualifications are of a clinical nature. This could cause real risks to the care of patients. It also devalues the hard work and effort put in by those people who have taken the time and trouble to obtain genuine qualifications. Telling lies to secure employment is wrong. To be clear it is fraud."<br>"We have well established procedures and can check with previous employers and educational bodies to find the truth. This should ring alarm bells with others that have made false claims on their CVs and where there is evidence we will always seek to bring a criminal prosecution."<br><br>The CFS investigating was able to show evidence of where Whitehead had made the same irresponsible claims on applications going back to June 2003. These included the Vale of Aylesbury PCT where he had worked from April 2005 until he started employment with Stoke PCT.<br><br>NHS CFS Managing Director Dermid McCausland said after the cases: “Fabricating or bending the truth in CVs is always wrong, but especially disturbing in a clinical setting like the NHS. Okoji and Whitehead’s crimes are an insult to the years of dedicated effort that the vast majority of NHS employees put in to earn their qualifications. Where there is evidence of fraud the NHS CFS will always consider a criminal prosecution. The determined minority who slip through the pre-employment process can still be caught. Making untrue claims on a CV can end in a jail sentence and everybody should be aware of that. We continue to urge all health bodies to carry out robust pre-employment checks regardless of the previous roles people claim to have had.”<br><br>NHS Employers brought in new guidelines for pre-employment screening earlier this year and the Healthcare Commission will audit health bodies to ensure adequate checks are made.<br><br>About the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) <br><br>A division of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), it was established to tackle fraud and corruption throughout the NHS, whether it involves professionals, staff, patients or contractors. It aims to create an anti-fraud culture. In 2007-08 the NHS CFS successfully prosecuted 57 criminal cases with a 96 per cent success rate. <br><br>Cases that reached court last year ranged from invoice and expenses fraud to falsifying prescription claims and ghost patient claims by a dentist. To report any incident of suspected fraud in the NHS, you can call the Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line on 0800 028 40 60.
