Rochdale Infirmary nurse found guilty of fraud and struck off

Date published: 07 August 2007

A nurse who made up false overtime claims to more than treble her salary has been kicked out of the profession.

Alison Whitehead was working for the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as a clinical manager in the Royal Oldham Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary between October 2002 and May 2005.

Whitehead, aged 44, forged the signatures of ward managers to pocket £12,000 in overpayments, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

The fraudulent claims began whilst she was working shifts as a nurse and a clinical manager. In 18 months she claimed more than three times what a bank or shift nurse would usually get in overtime and was later convicted of 21 fraud offences.

Claire Atogdina, counsel for the NMC, said: "She was convicted because of the way in which she claimed for overtime work. She worked a number of overtime shifts between April 2003 and February, 2005, which she volunteered herself for.

"She should have worked those shifts as a bank nurse and paid accordingly, however she claimed for overtime in her capacity as a clinical manager."

A bank nurse was paid £11.28 an hour while a clinical manager received £21.79.

Time and a half was paid for week-night shifts while Ms Whitehead would have received double when working at weekends.

Whitehead pocketed extra money by sending her invoices to a different payroll department and used the names of senior staff members to authorise the requests.

Whitehead, from Nelson, did not attend the central London hearing and was not legally represented. She was struck off after the panel found her fitness to practice impaired as a result of her crimes.