An NHS consultant with University College London Hospital also worked lucrative private shifts while collecting her NHS salary during a £130,000 fraud, a jury were told today.
Paediatric radiologist Dr. Maria Klusmann, 47, of Southwood Lane, Highgate deliberately deceived bosses at the Bloomsbury hospital during the two-year scam, the court heard.
“This is a case about money and greed,” prosecutor Leila Gaskin told Blackfriars Crown Court. “The prosecution say the defendant was paid by the NHS, but instead she chose to work elsewhere at exclusive private clinics.”
Dr. Klusmann received a total of around £130,000 from the NHS and her private work, with approximately £60-£70,000 defrauded from taxpayers, the jury heard.
She diagnosed sick children using CT scans, MRI’s, x-rays, ultrasound scans and by taking biopsies.
Dr. Klusmann has pleaded not guilty to one count of fraud by abuse of position between April 3, 2014 and August 2, 2016 and the trial is expected to last five weeks.
She denies dishonesty, insisting much of her private work was during periods of leave from UCLH with the remainder of time paid back to the NHS.
The court heard Dr. Klusmann also worked at Highgate Private Hospital; The Wellington Hospital and Hospital of St. John & St. Elizabeth in St. John’s Wood; Aspen Healthcare and HCA Healthcare.
“Senior doctors were able to see the defendant was not working at the times and places she was contracted to on numerous occasions,” explained Ms Gaskin.
“She admitted no wrongdoing and did not alter her conduct and an internal investigation revealed extensive gaps when she was working for other private clinics when she should have been working for the NHS.
“The prosecution case is over two years she did not work for hundreds of hours for the NHS and during that time was working in the private sector, earning additional sums and was doing this dishonestly and deliberately covering it up.
“She was effectively being paid by both the private clinics and the NHS at the same time. The defendant was being dishonest, working at private clinics on days she should have been working for the NHS.
“She was deceiving the NHS, she was acting fraudulently.”
The court heard Dr. Klusmann reacted negatively when confronted by UCLH. “She became agitated and evasive and did not answer questions she was asked and there was an attempt on her part to manipulate the data.
“She says if there is a deficit there is a fault in the computer software of the hospital, which was prone to crash.”
Trial continues…………
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