A fantasist nurse who faked her qualifications to secure a senior nursing position and lied about serving in Afghanistan has been ordered to repay just £278 of the £51,000 she swindled through her deceit.
The Case of Tanya Nasir
Tanya Nasir, 47, fabricated degrees and experience to land a job as the manager of the neonatal unit at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, South Wales. In this role, she was responsible for the care of sick and premature babies. The mother-of-two embellished her CV with a string of fake medical qualifications to obtain the position, where she was paid more than £210,000 before being suspended in 2010.
Further Deceptions
Nasir also faked her job reference using a former colleague's NHS email and lied about previously working with charities such as Oxfam and the Red Cross. She even boasted about being shot while serving as a Major in the British Army in Afghanistan, but this was found to be a lie. Her military career ended before it began after she failed a basic fitness test.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Nasir fraudulently earned £51,397.58 by pretending to be a band seven nurse when she was only qualified as a band five nurse. A band five nurse is a newly qualified nurse, while a band seven nurse is a senior specialist expected to have a Master's degree.
Financial Repayment Order
Despite earning more than £50,000 as ward manager, Nasir had just £278 in her bank account. She has until 6 August to pay £13.91 to Hillingdon NHS Trust and £264.22 to Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. If she fails to pay, she will serve a month in prison, and fraud investigators will track her down if her financial situation changes.
Nasir denied fraud but was found guilty of all nine charges and was jailed for five years in July 2024. Following her conviction, she was handed a striking off order at a nursing fitness to practise committee hearing on 23 May last year but did not attend.
Judge Richard Kember stated: 'There was a risk for a catastrophic outcome for patients and staff. In my view, this went far beyond an acceptable level of talking yourself up for an application or embellishing proper experience.'
