Nurse struck off after NHS roster fraud netted her practically £20,000 in pretend shifts
A nurse has been struck off after fraudulently adding 50 shifts to NHS rosters she never worked, pocketing nearly £20,000 and hundreds of hours of unearned time off
Faith Chareka was employed in the emergency department at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey
A nurse who pocketed nearly £20,000 by falsely claiming she had worked extra shifts has been struck off.
Faith Chareka, who was employed in the emergency department at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position after adding 50 shifts to her roster between November 1, 2020 and February 1, 2023, as per a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practise committee report.
While some of these shifts were paid at the standard rate, most were compensated at an enhanced rate applicable to night shifts, bank holidays and weekends. She received £19,575.41 and accrued 540 hours as time off in lieu (TOIL) that she did not have to work, the report stated.
During sentencing, the judge remarked that Chareka “engaged in repeated and premeditated dishonesty over a period of two years”, according to the report.
Chareka pleaded guilty in 2024 and was given an 18-month suspended sentence, along with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 15 days and an unpaid work requirement of 200 hours, the report detailed. Chareka was sacked by the trust in 2023 following an investigation.
The crime was characterised during sentencing as being “committed against a publicly funded NHS body already under financial pressure”, said Rosie Welsh, case presenter for the NMC.
Ms Welsh stated that Chareka “placed patients at potential risk of harm by exposing the ED to the potential risk of understaffing, delays, reduced support for colleagues and wider strain upon the service”, according to the report.
Alexandra Monaghan, representing Chareka, said she had “demonstrated genuine remorse and insight” into the seriousness of her conduct, and had “expressed repeated heartfelt apologies” and spent considerable time reflecting on her behaviour.
The report states: “The facts leading to your conviction for fraud included the repeated allocation and booking of shifts you did not work by accessing the roster and adding shifts retrospectively for your financial and personal gain. Your dishonesty included taking TOIL.
“The panel was concerned about the potential impact of your conduct on patient services and the workforce. Your conduct removed substantial funds from the trust during and beyond the Covid pandemic, which placed pressure on already challenged NHS resources.
“Your dishonest receipt of TOIL meant that rather than you working the shifts, the shifts would need to be covered by others. The panel concluded that your conduct could have had a direct impact on human resources and the financial position of the trust.”
Ms Welsh informed the hearing that the “only sanction capable of maintaining public confidence in the profession and marking the seriousness of your misconduct is a striking-off order”. Ms Monaghan argued that the aim of sanction is not to punish and reminded the panel Chareka had already been “sufficiently punished in the criminal court”.
The panel removed Chareka from the nursing register. Since the striking-off order cannot come into effect until the conclusion of the 28-day appeal period, the panel enforced an interim suspension order for a duration of 18 months to cover any potential appeal period.
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