Somber Reptile

Fake Timesheets Fraud Ends in Jail

July 24th, 2010 at 9:42 am (Hall Of Health, It's The Law, Markets)

Timesheets are records that reflect the number of hours worked and the amount to be paid. In an unusual turn of events, an employee at Rotherham General Hospital was found submitting forged timesheets after his employment contract was completed. He received over £18,000 due to the false timesheets.

The details came to light after an investigation by Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS), supported by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS). The employee David Steven Sammons, aged 30, pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006.

Judge Robertshaw who sentenced Sammons to 12 months of imprisonment described the offence as a “calculated, systematic, deliberate fraud” perpetrated against ” a cherished public body providing a valuable service to the nation”.

Sammons was working at Rotherham General Hospital through Adecco UK Employment Agency. He was assigned a position at the medical records department. According to the terms and conditions, Sammons had to submit his timesheets after a hospital staff member countersigned them. Adecco Employment Agency would then raise the invoice to the hospital for payment.

The agency was shocked to see that Sammons had managed to submit timesheets and received payment even after his term of employment was over. Between August 2007 and October 2007, Sammons managed to receive £18,000. The amount included not only claims through forged timesheets but also false shifts that he never worked. He had managed to put up claims for a further amount of £3,000 when the investigations revealed the truth.

It was also shocking that Rotherham Police and the NHS Counter Fraud Service’s East Midlands team were also involved. East Midlands Operational Fraud Manager for the NHS CFS Steve Guillon was clear that any suspicion of fraud against the NHS needed to be reported and investigated thoroughly.

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