NHS manager who gambled away £92,000 of trust’s budget is jailed

The former NHS manager was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday

NHS manager Alec Gandy gambled away over £92,000 of the trust’s budget (PA) (PA Archive)

An NHS manager who siphoned off more than £120,000 from his trust, primarily to fuel a gambling addiction, has been handed a prison sentence.

Alec Gandy, a senior operational manager at Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust, orchestrated a scheme involving fake temporary worker accounts, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) revealed.

Gandy created fictitious roles for his friend, Matthew Lane, as a physician’s assistant, and his ex-wife, Kaylee Wright, as a paramedic.

He then authorised invoices totalling over £123,000 to be paid into these accounts.

The CPS stated that much of this money was subsequently transferred back to Gandy, 42, who squandered more than £92,000 on gambling and diverted an additional £12,000 to his own businesses.

The fraud spanned 16 months, beginning in August 2022. When the Dudley trust uncovered the illicit activity, they alerted the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, which launched an investigation after Gandy had left his position.

Gandy was sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court (PA Archive) (PA Archive)

A victim impact statement from the trust’s director of finance, heard in court, highlighted that the stolen funds could have significantly improved patient care, enough to cover the salaries of four nursing associates for a year.

Gandy, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, having previously admitted to fraud by abuse of position.

His accomplices, Lane, 44, of Evesham, Worcestershire, and Wright, 38, also of Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Lane received a 12-month suspended sentence for 18 months and 200 hours of unpaid work, while Wright was given an 18-month community order and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.

Ben Reid, a CPS specialist prosecutor, condemned the actions, stating: "This case represents a serious breach of trust that diverted vital NHS funds meant for patient care.

Gandy abused his position of responsibility as a public servant, while Lane and Wright knowingly participated in the scheme to facilitate this fraud."

He added that fraud is not victimless, causing financial loss and requiring extensive internal investigations.

The CPS confirmed it would pursue confiscation proceedings against Gandy.

Ben Harrison, head of operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, underscored the importance of the outcome: "This outcome endorses the value of our robust and objective approach to ensuring that anyone who attempts to defraud the NHS is brought to justice. This was a calculated scheme that diverted significant public funds away from frontline patient care."