George Eliot Hospital nurse 'claimed £50,000 in unearned wages'

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust said it was saddened by Harbans Dhaliwal's behaviour

A nurse who was paid £50,000 for more than 230 shifts she did not work has received a prison sentence, police say.

According to the Warwickshire force, Harbans Dhaliwal, 54, only worked 10 shifts at George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton during the 20-month period in which she defrauded the trust running the site.

She was sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for a year, at Warwick Crown Court on Friday.

The hospital said it was let down.

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Dhaliwal, of Cross Road, Coventry, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud by false representation.

Police said between April 2014 and December 2015, the auxiliary nurse submitted timesheets for more than 230 shifts she did not work, resulting in the hospital paying out £50,000 in unearned wages.

Dhaliwal was also made subject to the Proceeds of Crime repayment scheme.

Investigating officer Det Con Kate Edge said: "The NHS is a public service under great strain so for someone to knowingly claim money from this organisation for services they had not provided is unacceptable."

A George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust spokesman said: "We are saddened that the behaviour of one individual has let down the honest and hard-working members of staff at this hospital."

The trust added it had since changed its rota systems.