Psychiatrist struck off for falsely claiming nearly £30,000 worth of shifts

A consultant doctor has been struck off after he falsely claimed for £29,749.97 worth of shifts when he was out of the country. An investigation revealed Dr Rajeev Reghunath had forged the signature of a fellow consultant psychiatrist to falsify timesheets for 35 shifts, for which he was paid up to £1,300 a time. 

The fraud took place between January 2019 and February 2021 when Reghunath was working as a locum consultant psychiatrist in Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation NHS Trust, via an agency called Pulse Healthcare Limited.

An investigative report by MIAA anti-fraud specialist, Neil McQueen said: "Concerns were raised about a number of days claimed to have been worked. There were also days claimed over Christmas in 2020 that were not worked as well as days in early January 2021.”

There were two instances within the claims made that Reghunath was not in the country as the Home Office data showed that he had flown to Abu Dhabi and Dalaman at times when he had claimed to have been working.

Neil continued: “He submitted five weeks’ worth of timesheets from India after he left the country for the final time in February 2021."

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, Reghunath was found guilty of serious professional misconduct.
Chairman Ms Joanne Shelley said: "Dr Reghunath demonstrated a pattern of behaviour which had escalated over time, from submitting false timesheets for authorisation and payment to ultimately falsifying his lead consultant's signatures on his timesheets to suggest the claims he was making were legitimate and appropriately authorised to claim monies he was not entitled to, thus depriving the NHS of substantial sums of money."

MIAA Senior Anti-Fraud Manager Paul Bell commented: “Regulatory body sanctions are one of the range of ways that fraudsters can be punished. They may be barred from working in their chosen field, or even banned for life.”

If you suspect that anyone is committing fraud or another economic crime against the NHS, contact NHSCFA using their website to report online: www.cfa.nhs.uk or telephone the 24-hour reporting line 0800 028 40 60.