NHS radiologist, 39, who forged timesheets over eight months avoids being struck off

An NHS doctor who falsified timesheets to earn extra money has kept his job after he apologised and admitted he did it out of an ‘entitled sense of arrogance’.

Vascular radiologist Luke Morgan-Rowe, 39, submitted false claims for overtime he did not work over an eight month period – after racking up ‘severe debt’ from medical school.

Although he worked back the hours he claimed and advancing towards an average salary of £80,000-£120,000 for his profession, the public-school educated doctor was fired when NHS managers uncovered the scam and was subsequently arrested and charged with fraud. 

He faced a Crown Court judge however prosecutors were unable to offer any evidence against him. The General Medical Council then began a disciplinary investigation into his conduct.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Morgan-Rowe, who was educated at the £34,920-a-year Reeds School in Cobham, Surrey, before graduating in medicine at the University of London, admitted dishonesty.

He confessed he had been ‘arrogant’ at the time of the scam and felt ‘a sense of entitlement’ to claim extra cash but said he was a ‘different and better person now.’

The medic from Bayford, Hertfordshire, was suspended from practicing for six months after being found guilty of professional misconduct and is expected to return to work following a review next year.

A disciplinary panel decided not to strike Morgan-Rowe off the medical register after reading letters of support from Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where he has been working in recent years.

It emerged the money claimed – the full amount of which was not disclosed – came from a Government grant for a 2012 research project whilst working as a research fellow in the complex aorta treatment team at three hospitals under the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The typical NHS Consultant Radiologist salary is £100,040 per year.

Morgan-Rowe filed the faked timesheets between June 2012 and February 2013, using a photocopied signature on the documents to make it appear the claims had been authorised by a senior colleague, the hearing was told.

Initial concerns were raised within the Trust in February 2013 and the matter escalated to the NHS Counter Fraud team. 

Morgan-Rowe was then subsequently arrested and charged with criminal offences of fraud. 

The matters went to the Crown Court for trial when the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence and in 2016 a not guilty verdict was recorded.

In a statement to the hearing, Dr Morgan-Rowe said: ‘I accept that my conduct at the time was dishonest.

‘I claimed for hours that I did not work based on a sense of entitlement and arrogance.

‘I had claimed the money in advance for the hours I knew I would eventually work. I knew this was not the normal way to receive payment for work, but it had assisted with my debt at the time.

‘It was never my intention to commit fraud as I knew I would ultimately complete these hours I claimed. A fund existed which was ring-fenced for me to be paid over the course of the research project. I would never have made a false claim against public funds.’

Under cross examination he went on: ‘I am a different person now and have gained insight into the character traits that caused me to behave recklessly.

‘I am now in a stable financial position with personal checks and mechanisms in place to avoid repeating this behaviour in the future and not making impulsive decisions. I am involved in medical education work and am keen to continue in medical practise.’

The doctor added that he had been ‘buoyed up and edified’ by character testimonials written about him and insisted: ‘This all started 10 years ago when I was in a very different place in life where I felt entitled, arrogant and was accruing debt.

‘This was an aberrant episode, albeit over a period of months. However, with the benefit of prolonged reflection and maturity, I recognise my behaviour was completely inappropriate and unacceptable.

‘This investigation has been a traumatic experience which has been the ultimate deterrent to never act in such a way again. Burying my head in the sand does not serve me well and the only way to learn from past mistakes is through honest and open discussion and reflection.

‘I am deeply disappointed in myself and sorry for my actions and the impact it has had on everyone involved. I have been working hard in the subsequent years to be an exceptional physician.’

‘I am a better person now. I have engaged actively and openly with the investigations since all of this came to light. I want to continue to use my medical skills to help improve patients’ lives. 

‘Being allowed to continue to practise is in the best interests of the patients. There is a need for doctors with interventional radiology skills since this is a chronically undermanned speciality.’

In the tribunal’s determination, chairman Catherine Moxon said: ‘Dr Morgan-Rowe had apologised, expressed deep regret and remorse for his actions and had actively pursued relevant external help to get a better understanding of his behaviour. 

‘The tribunal also noted the passage of time and the fact that no concerns had been raised either before or after these events.

‘However, this was a pattern of persistent dishonesty. While Dr Morgan-Rowe may have worked back the hours he claimed, the damage caused to the medical profession by submitting fraudulent timesheets on multiple occasions was significant and wide-ranging.’

She added: ‘The Tribunal accepted Dr Morgan-Rowe’s evidence as credible and his developing, mature, insights as genuine. 

‘During the lapse of time since the incident, Dr Morgan-Rowe had shown genuine remorse and insight, acknowledging what he had done was wrong.

‘The Tribunal accepted Dr Morgan-Rowe’s evidence that he has had the additional difficulty of having to live with the incident for such a long period of time and it had been a traumatic experience for him. Dr Morgan-Rowe had been tormented by seeing his peers fulfilling what were once joint professional milestones.

‘He had to accept help from friends and family to pay for his legal fees. There was no evidence before the Tribunal that there was a significant risk of repetition. 

‘The tribunal considered that it was in the public interest to retain Dr Morgan-Rowe as a competent and clinically useful doctor.’