A nurse who fraudulently claimed almost £20,000 by adding shifts she did not work has been struck off. Faith Chareka, who worked in the emergency department for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, was convicted of fraud by abuse of position.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practise committee report detailed how Ms Chareka added 50 shifts to rosters between November 1 2020 and February 1 2023. While some of these shifts were paid at the basic rate, the majority were paid at an enhanced rate, typically applied to night shifts, bank holidays, and weekends.
In total, she received £19,575.41 and gained 540 hours as time off in lieu (TOIL) for which she was not required to work. During her sentencing, the judge stated that Ms Chareka “engaged in repeated and premeditated dishonesty over a period of two years”.
Chareka pleaded guilty in 2024 and was handed an 18-month suspended sentence with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 15 days and unpaid work requirement of 200 hours, according to the report.
Chareka was dismissed by the trust in 2023 after an investigation.
The offending was described during sentencing as being “committed against a publicly funded NHS body already under financial pressure”, Rosie Welsh, case presenter for the NMC, said.
Ms Welsh said 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 conduct.
The report says: “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 told the hearing 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 submitted that the purpose of sanction is not to punish and reminded the panel Chareka had been “sufficiently punished in the criminal court”.
The panel struck Chareka off the nursing register.
As the striking-off order cannot take effect until the end of the 28-day appeal period, the panel imposed an interim suspension order for a period of 18 months to cover any potential period of appeal.