Reported by: Ime Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen
The United Kingdom National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) has announced that it has secured the three-year conviction of Nigerian doctor Richard Akinrolabu for offences involving fraud by false representation, amounting to £268,000.
The case, which has drawn attention across the UK, involved 61-year-old Akinrolabu, who pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud. According to the NHSCFA, he obtained the money by claiming to be unfit for work while secretly performing shifts at other NHS trusts.
Akinrolabu was employed by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, working in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) as a trust-grade specialist registrar. Between October 2018 and December 2021, despite declaring himself unwell, he secretly undertook on-call and night shifts at Basildon Hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital, and the Mid-South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
He never sought—or received—permission from his main employer, and as a result, the hospital had to hire locum doctors to cover the shifts they believed he could not perform.
In June 2022, Akinrolabu was interviewed under caution by the NHSCFA, but he chose to respond with “no comment.” At his sentencing on 4 November 2025 at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge David Miller criticized him strongly:
“You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.”
Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHSCFA, also condemned Akinrolabu’s actions:
“By working additional on-call and night shifts, despite being unfit to do so, Akinrolabu defrauded the NHS of substantial funds that should have supported patient care.”
Evidence presented in court included timesheets and payroll records from the additional trusts, clearly showing that he performed night and on-call shifts, directly contradicting his claims of being unfit for work.
The NHSCFA described the case as a serious abuse of trust, emphasizing that such conduct undermines public confidence in NHS professionals and the integrity of the healthcare system.
This case highlights the critical role of oversight within the NHS and serves as a warning to professionals that dishonesty and abuse of trust will not be tolerated.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments