Nurse jailed for 'fiddling' NHS (From Barry And District News)

Nurse jailed for 'fiddling' NHS

A BARRY nurse was jailed this week for fiddling her timesheet to pay for exotic holidays around the world.

Rhian Slaymaker, 32, was working at the Pen-yr-Ynys mental health unit in Barry when she committed the offences.

Slaymaker was caught after management at Pen-yr-Ynys noticed a deficit in their budget.

Slaymaker conned the NHS out of almost £36,000 to pay for her jetsetting lifestyle.

The court heard she splashed out on sunshine holidays to Hawaii, Mexico, Australia and California.

Single woman Slaymaker came up with the scam while working as a staff nurse for the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust in South Wales.

Prosecutor Nicola Harris said: "Over a period of three years she submitted 192 false timesheets.

"She was on a register of staff who were willing to work overtime shifts.

"She took timesheets from a mail bag and doctored them to add in her name, then covered her tracks by forging the signatures of friends and colleagues to authorise payment."

Miss Harris said: "When questioned why she had done it Slaymaker said she had "got away with it" and it became a habit.

"She said she spent the money on lots of holidays."

Cardiff Crown Court heard Slaymaker went on trips to Australia, Hawaii, Mexico and California.

She also put it towards buying a house and a car.

Slaymaker, of Grangetown, Cardiff, admitted nine counts of false accounting to a total of £35,901.89.

She asked for 169 further offences to be taken into consideration.

Peter Heywood, defending, said: "This is a young lady who is full of remorse and shame."

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall, QC, jailed Slaymaker for nine months saying her crimes were "devious, methodical and persistent."

He told her: "You committed the offences because having got away with it once you developed a habit and taste for it.

"You spent the money on high living and holidays in exotic resorts. All the money has now gone.

"This was a long-lasting, determined and significant abuse of trust which led to a loss to the NHS of nearly £36,000.

"You hit a system that is desperately under-resourced. I must send out a message to others that they cannot and must not think they can get away it."

Slaymaker now faces being struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.