Fraud Awareness Week: NHS finance chief sentenced for fraud
November 17, 2021
This week as part of Fraud Awareness Week, we’re bringing you some cases from across the country where people have been caught committing fraud.
A former Director of Finance, Stephen Day (51, of Queich Mill, Blairgowrie), was sentenced to 11 years and five months’ imprisonment for a series of serious fraud offences (Leeds Crown Court, 15 April 2021). The total loss to the NHS amounted to £88,000.
From November 2012 to January 2013, Mr Day fraudulently occupied three full-time senior NHS positions at once. He obtained the roles through two employment agencies, who were both unaware of his deception.
Mr Day worked as a full time director of finance for both Merseyside CSU and South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula Clinical Commissioning Group between 1st November 2012 and 14th January 2013, fraudulently earning a combined salary of £2000 a day.
In December 2012, Mr Day accepted a third simultaneous NHS director of finance position, with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust.
To cover his tracks, Mr Day used a range of excuses for his numerous absences, from needing to “work from home”, to receiving “cancer treatment”. On one occasion, he said that his father had died.
Greater Manchester Police later launched their own investigation into Mr Day after receiving four separate allegations which amounted to over £1.3 million in suspected fraudulent activity.
Mr Day pleaded guilty to 12 charges of fraud and theft, including three counts relating to the NHS. He is to serve a minimum of half of the sentence in prison, with the remainder on licence.
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.
Notice Fraud November: In this November issue we focus on current fraud trends across the NHS, providing you with some useful insights into current fraud risk areas and details of some recent fraud investigations. Click here to check it out.