Fraud Awareness Week: £66,000 recovered from fraudster

November 15, 2021

Throughout Fraud Awareness Week we will be highlighting the most reported frauds across the NHS, providing some guidance on preventing these and identifying when you should report your concerns.

Aled Meirion Jones repaid over £66,000 defrauded from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and other hospitals in South Wales. He repaid the money on the very last day set by the court, to avoid spending two years behind bars.

Between 2017 and 2019, Jones had stolen and altered cheques received from funeral homes across South Wales, worth £33,235.40. The cheques were for doctors who had certified cause of death forms, prior to a person’s body being released for cremation.

The handwritten cheques were made out to the appropriate doctor but the payee details were amended by Jones and paid into his own bank account.

Jones also submitted exaggerated claims for working hours and false claims for locum shifts not worked, to several health boards totalling £33,148.07.

The fraud was first revealed thanks to a tip-off to NHS Counter Fraud Authority’s fraud and corruption reporting line (0800 028 40 60).

Having repaid the money in time, Jones’ sentence was suspended for two years but he was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work in 12 months. A mitigating factor in sentencing was that Jones had a gambling addiction, which was designated as a medical condition.

The full article can be found on the NHS CFA website here.

All suspicions of fraud or bribery should be reported to the Local Counter Fraud Specialist Sophie Coster (Tel: 07436 268747), Chief Finance Officer Dinah McLannahan; or NHSCFA via 0800 028 40 60