NHS Surgeon's £64K Wages Swindle

An NHS surgeon today admitted forging timesheets to falsely inflate his working hours in a £64,938 swindle.

Kingston Hospital Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) specialist Kifayat Ullah, 40, had switched to a reduced 22.5 hour working week, but continued claiming wages for a full 45 hour week.

Appearing with the support of his wife at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court Ullah, who lives in a £1.5m two-bedroom flat in Primrose Hill Road, Primrose Hill, Hampstead heard he faces a potential prison sentence of four-and-a-half years.

He pleaded guilty to one count of making a false instrument, with intent it be accepted as genuine, between December 4, 2020 and June 30, 2021, namely timesheets.

Ullah was employed as a locum at Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust via the MedicsPro Recruitment Agency.

Prosecutor Laura Boca told the court: “Doctor Ullah is a specialist ENT surgeon and was contracted via MedicsPro full-time from November, 2020.

“At his own request his hours were reduced to twenty-two-and-a-half hours per week and the defendant submitted false time sheets, claiming £64,938.

“Of this, £56,718 was actually paid to the defendant.

“When he was interviewed he denied any wrongdoing, agreeing his hours were reduced to twenty-two-and-a-half hours and he was paid for forty-five hours.

“He admitted the time sheets may have included times he did not work, but he said it was not deliberate.”

Requesting the magistrates send Ullah to the Crown Court for sentencing Ms Boca explained: “The starting point on the sentencing guidelines is four years and six months imprisonment.

“This defendant is a doctor working in the NHS and has abused this position to forge time sheets and abuse the trust of the NHS.”

A total of twenty-nine time sheets were forged by Ullah.

Bench Chair Judith Way agreed Ullah needs to be sentenced by a Crown Court judge. “This court cannot deal with this case today, our sentencing powers are inadequate.”

She told Ullah: “You will be sentenced at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court and we are asking for a pre-sentence report to be done, which will help the court when you are sentenced.”

He was released on bail until a sentencing date is fixed.