ARRS paramedic committed fraud worth £60k declaring fake shifts at GP practices

A paramedic employed through the additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) was given a suspended sentence after committing fraud worth more than £60,000 while based at two GP practices.

Paramedic Karl Lavender, 43, and recruitment consultant Adam Kilgallon, 39, were sentenced having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation. 

Both men were given 22-month prison sentences, suspended for two years, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 17 February. 

From 2017 until 2024, Lavender was employed as a locum paramedic by a private clinical staffing agency, according to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA).

NHSCFA separately confirmed to Pulse that his role was funded from an ARRS budget, though he was employed via an agency and not directly by the now-dissolved Dudley Integrated Health and Care (DIHC) NHS Trust.

Between September 2022 and June 2024, Lavender, who was based at St James Medical Practice and Eve Hill Medical Practice in Dudley, submitted altered, inflated and false timesheets. 

Together with Kilgallon, who managed the paramedic, he defrauded the NHS out of £63,835. From September 2022 to March 2024, he submitted 69 timesheets which had been altered and inflated for extra shifts not worked, totalling £34,386.

From March to June 2024, he continued submitting timesheets despite not working for DIHC, altering the dates of previously approved and signed timesheets. This totalled a further £29,449.20. 

Although Kilgallon did not receive any payments from Lavender, he did earn commission on top of his basic pay (also paid with ARRS funds) by keeping Lavender in work at DIHC. An estimated £1,223.81 of this is suspected to have been obtained through Lavender’s fraudulent timesheets. 

According to NHSCFA, DIHC referred the case to them after suspecting fraud.  

NHSCFA said its financial investigators are now using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 to trace and recover the remaining lost funds. 

Mr Lavender, from Stretton in Staffordshire, was also ordered to undertake a 12-month mental health treatment programme and 62 days of rehabilitation across two programmes.  

Mr Kilgallon, from Twickenham, was also ordered to undertake a three-month alcohol treatment programme, 10 days of rehabilitation and 175 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within 12 months. 

Ben Harrison, NHSCFA head of operations and engagement, said: ‘This conviction demonstrates the skill and dedication of our investigators, who meticulously traced the evidence through banking records, telecommunications and detailed interviews to build an irrefutable case. 

‘Over nearly two years, Lavender submitted inflated claims for shifts he never worked, directed by Kilgallon, his manager. This case highlights the importance of robust timesheet verification processes. 

‘We will continue to pursue those who defraud the NHS and ensure they face the full consequences of their actions.’ 

It follows the jailing of an NHS manager last month who had fraudulently claimed more than £123,000 through ARRS, and who was also employed by DIHC.