The High cost of Lack of Due Diligence at the NHS

Introduction

Nowadays we can all agree, the job market in the UK is daunting. With the cost of living rising and many job applicants searching for new and higher paid opportunities; employers are looking hard for the perfect candidate, with a flawless CV, the right experience level to fit the role, good interview techniques and an attractive personality.

It is well known that lying on your CV is a huge no-no. However, according to the University of Law, “more than half of CVs submitted by job applicants contain lies or inaccuracies”. The lies include gaps in employment history, false claims regarding qualifications and even failure to mention fraud committed against previous employers. Applicants should be aware that no matter how serious the deceit is, lying on a CV is a criminal offence of “fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act of 2006”.

In our experience, most of CV dishonesty is relatively minor. However, making sure pre-employment due diligence screening procedures are set in place will not only identify smaller lies, but also help uncover more serious false claims.

Welcoming a candidate who has lied about their qualifications or experience to your team can damage the company’s reputation if the fraud is discovered by customers or competitors.

Poor Due Diligence Practices at the NHS

Poor due diligence has been the case at the NHS, which in multiple occasions has been the victim owing to their own practices.

Phillip Hufton, for instance, was found to have lied about being a doctor, having a PhD, a war record and even Cancer. “The fraudster worked for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust for 17 months but was sacked after staff discovered his lies”. Phillip was arrested, ordered to pay money back and dismissed from his position in the NHS.

More than once, the NHS has been on the spotlight for employing fraudsters like Jon Andrewes who was found to have lied about his qualifications to secure top roles; Peter Knight who was a Director on the Board of Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, had lied about having a degree; or more recently, Zholia Alemi who worked as a psychiatrist without the necessary medical qualifications.

They all were caught and faced the consequences of their own actions. Additionally, a landmark ruling made in 2022 means that “employees caught lying about their qualifications or salaries on their CVs could be made to pay back to their employers”. This is  because employing a person who has lied to secure the role can have a negative impact in productivity and possibly lead to financial losses for your business.

Why jeopardise your company’s success and stability by unknowingly employing a fraudster, when it can simply be avoided by having comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure that new employees are suitable for their roles and the organization. By merely implementing due diligence procedures, companies can reduce their risk and ensure a safe and productive workplace.

How we can help

We have a team of Analysts and Associates who interrogate the individual’s CV, application forms and corporate history specifically looking for adverse information and risk, including undisclosed red flags, conflicting findings, false or exaggerated statements and report these findings to you. Background checks performed by us include searches with press articles, court searches, company registries, public records and documents, insolvency registers, financial regulator fines and licenses, subscribed databases, sanctions checks as well social media platforms.

When required, our team can cover global jurisdictions, performing research in key languages. Contact our team for further information about how we can help.