An A&E nurse has been struck off after fraudulently claiming almost £20,000 for shifts she did not work, which placed patients at potential risk of harm due to understaffing. Faith Chareka, employed in the emergency department at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust in Surrey, added 50 unworked shifts to staff rotas between November 2020 and February 2023, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Details of the Fraud
Most of the shifts were paid at enhanced rates, including night, weekend, and bank holiday pay. Chareka received £19,575.41 and gained 540 hours as time off in lieu (TOIL) for which she was not required to work, the report stated. During sentencing, the judge said Chareka engaged in repeated and premeditated dishonesty over a period of two years.
Legal Consequences
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. She was dismissed by the trust in 2023 after an investigation. The offending was described as being committed against a publicly funded NHS body already under financial pressure, said Rosie Welsh, case presenter for the NMC.
Ms Welsh noted that Chareka placed patients at potential risk of harm by exposing the emergency department to the potential risk of understaffing, delays, reduced support for colleagues, and wider strain upon the service. Alexandra Monaghan, representing Chareka, said she had demonstrated genuine remorse and insight into the seriousness of her conduct, expressing repeated heartfelt apologies and spending considerable time reflecting on her actions.
Panel Decision
The NMC panel concluded that Chareka's conduct could have had a direct impact on human resources and the financial position of the trust. Ms Welsh argued that the only sanction capable of maintaining public confidence in the profession and marking the seriousness of the misconduct was a striking-off order. Ms Monaghan submitted that the purpose of sanction is not to punish and reminded the panel that 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.
