A doctor at Kingston Hospital has been found guilty of fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds for hours he did not work and is now set to be removed from the medical register.

Dr Kifayat Ullah, a locum ENT specialist, was overpaid £45,402 after submitting false timesheets over several months.

His actions have now led to a tribunal and a suspended prison sentence.

Dr Ullah, who completed his medical degree at the University of London in 2009, worked at Kingston Hospital on a zero-hours contract through the medical recruitment agency MedicsPro.

His role required him to submit handwritten timesheets after each shift, which were then approved by hospital staff and forwarded to the agency for payment.

However, between November 2020 and June 2021, Dr Ullah submitted a series of falsified timesheets. These documents recorded a total of 658 additional hours that he did not work.

Dr Ullah forged the signatures of hospital officials to support these fraudulent claims.

In total, his false timesheets led to an overpayment of £45,402 to him, with the overall financial loss to Kingston NHS Trust amounting to £51,982.

Dr Ullah’s fraudulent activity was discovered, and on December 5, 2023, he was convicted of making a false instrument with intent for it to be accepted as genuine.

He was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court in January 2024 to two years in prison, suspended for 24 months.

He was ordered to pay compensation of £51,902.50, complete 250 hours of unpaid work, and participate in a 25-day rehabilitation program.

Dr Ullah was recently involved in a Medical Practitioners Tribunal, which determined that he is unfit to continue practicing as a doctor.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal documents explained that fraudulent scheme occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the NHS was already under significant financial and staffing pressure.

Dr Ullah’s actions diverted funds that could have been used for patient care and critical services, further straining hospital resources.

During sentencing, the judge said: “You are of previous good character.

“I have read all of the character references which have been uploaded and indeed the comments from patients which clearly testify to you having been a good and caring doctor.

“But your actions in my view were not based, did not stem from anxiety or stress, rather out of greed and avarice.

“You wanted to reduce the hours that you worked but you wanted to maintain your income.

“You have brought disgrace not only upon yourself but upon your profession.”

The GMC has requested an immediate erasure of Dr Ullah from the medical register and the revocation of his current interim order, citing concerns about public confidence due to the seriousness and prolonged nature of his misconduct.

The Tribunal agreed that an immediate suspension is necessary to protect the public and maintain trust in the medical profession.

Dr Ullah’s registration will be suspended once the decision is served, with the suspension taking full effect on September 28, 2024 unless an appeal is launched.