Latest news with #DeanArmitage
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Nurse stole £72,000 claiming he worked fake shifts at NHS mental health unit
Dean Armitage 'abused his position' after investigators determined he had not been present for nearly 200 night shifts he claimed at the height of the Covid pandemic An NHS nurse stole tens of thousands of pounds from a mental health unit after "abusing his position" and claiming to have worked hundreds of extra shifts. Dean Armitage worked as a ward manager at an unnamed facility in Manchester run by the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). The 33-year-old was given access to the trust's shift booking system, allowing him to create, assign and authorise additional shifts, but "abused his position" to backdate overtime and pocket additional payments. Armitage has now been sentenced to more than a year behind bars after his ill-gotten gains were discovered. The Manchester Evening News reports that Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday that Armitage started abusing his role at the height of the Covid pandemic in April 2020, when he entered backdated shifts into the NHS staff bank. The bank allows employees to pick up extra shifts on top of contracted hours, enabling them to help cover potential staff shortages. A British Medical Association (BMA) report released in 2024 found that, at the time, working overtime had "become the norm" to plug staffing gaps that had existed long before the pandemic took hold. But prosecutors said Armitage paid for night shifts he never worked, with the higher rate entries placed after the fact not appearing on rotas, and not arousing suspicion. He continued to claim for these shifts until October 2021 and claimed £76,632.72 and holiday pay for 185 fraudulently claimed shifts, according to the NHSCFA. Irregularities not spotted until the following month, when the nurse, from Armitage, Bradford West, was suspended as the trust's Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) investigated. He was caught out after investigators found his biometric data was not used to enter the "medium secure" site during the shift hours he had claimed and was paid for. He was ultimately charged with Fraud by Abuse of Position, and pleaded guilty at Bradford Crown Court last November. Armitage was sentenced by a judge to 18 years in jail, and he has been sacked by GMMH for gross misconduct, with the trust having referred him to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which has in turn suspended him. Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHSCFA said: 'We are pleased with the outcome of this investigation. I want to thank the trust, alongside both the LCFS and NHSCFA colleagues, for the action they took in this case. "Armitage clearly exploited his position of trust to divert NHS funding from much-needed patient care. 'This case highlights the importance and effectiveness of the local counter fraud efforts across the NHS in uncovering and taking action against individuals who commit this kind of fraud.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurse defrauded NHS of £70k for false shifts
A former nurse who defrauded an NHS Trust out of more than £70,000 by claiming wages for unworked shifts has been jailed for 18 months. Dean Armitage, of Edmund Street, Bradford, booked and approved himself for 185 backdated overtime shifts at a mental health unit in Greater Manchester, which he had not worked. The 33-year-old had been a cocaine addict and ran up debts at the time of his offending, between September 2019 and March 2021, Bradford Crown Court heard. He pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position, which was described by a judge as "persistent, sophisticated and determined," at his sentencing at the same court on Thursday. "It was a gross abuse of the trust that had been placed in you by your employer," Recorder Ian Mullarkey said. Armitage, a team leader and mental health practitioner at a medium secure unit, told police he had found he could authorise his own shifts by accident. He mainly claimed for night shifts, which were paid at a higher rate, a Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust spokesperson said. He backdated the shifts, meaning they did not appear on any rota and therefore did not raise suspicion, the Trust added. Data revealed no evidence of Armitage entering or exiting the unit during the 185 shifts he fraudulently claimed for, the Trust spokesperson said. His offending cost the NHS a total of £72,632.71 in wages and holiday pay, the court heard. Barrister Erin Kitson-Parker, defending, said Armitage was ashamed of his behaviour and realised the money he had taken could have been used to have a substantial impact on patient care. "He understands he abused his position, and he understands he has to be accountable," she said. "It is a great fall from grace for this defendant." Recorder Mullarkey said only an immediate prison sentence was appropriate. He did not make a compensation order due to Armitage's lack of means, as the court heard he was still in debt and was now receiving benefits. Armitage was dismissed by the Trust during its investigation and has been suspended from working as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North Nurse defrauded NHS trust with false shifts claims Nurse faked timesheets to pocket £26k in wages Hospital doctor faked timesheets to claim more pay Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust HM Courts and Tribunals Service
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Bradford nurse who defrauded NHS out of £70,000 jailed
A former nurse who defrauded an NHS Trust out of more than £70,000 by claiming wages for unworked shifts has been jailed for 18 Armitage, of Edmund Street, Bradford, booked and approved himself for 185 backdated overtime shifts at a mental health unit in Greater Manchester, which he had not 33-year-old had been a cocaine addict and ran up debts at the time of his offending, between September 2019 and March 2021, Bradford Crown Court pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position, which was described by a judge as "persistent, sophisticated and determined," at his sentencing at the same court on Thursday. "It was a gross abuse of the trust that had been placed in you by your employer," Recorder Ian Mullarkey a team leader and mental health practitioner at a medium secure unit, told police he had found he could authorise his own shifts by mainly claimed for night shifts, which were paid at a higher rate, a Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust spokesperson backdated the shifts, meaning they did not appear on any rota and therefore did not raise suspicion, the Trust added. 'Fall from grace' Data revealed no evidence of Armitage entering or exiting the unit during the 185 shifts he fraudulently claimed for, the Trust spokesperson offending cost the NHS a total of £72,632.71 in wages and holiday pay, the court Erin Kitson-Parker, defending, said Armitage was ashamed of his behaviour and realised the money he had taken could have been used to have a substantial impact on patient care."He understands he abused his position, and he understands he has to be accountable," she said."It is a great fall from grace for this defendant."Recorder Mullarkey said only an immediate prison sentence was did not make a compensation order due to Armitage's lack of means, as the court heard he was still in debt and was now receiving was dismissed by the Trust during its investigation and has been suspended from working as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
