A former NHS locum paramedic and a recruitment consultant have each been handed suspended prison sentences after defrauding the NHS of more than £60,000, following an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA).
Karl Lavender, 43, from Stretton, Staffordshire, and Adam Kilgallon, 39, from Twickenham, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday, February 17. Both pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation in November 2025.
Lavender, who worked as a locum paramedic through a private clinical staffing agency from 2017 to 2024, was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. Alongside this, he must complete a 12-month mental health treatment programme and 62 days of rehabilitation.
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Kilgallon, the recruitment consultant managing NHS clients and candidates in the Midlands, also received a 22-month suspended sentence and was ordered to undertake a three-month alcohol treatment programme, 10 days of rehabilitation, and 175 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.
Between September 2022 and June 2024, Lavender submitted inflated and falsified timesheets under Kilgallon’s direction while contracted to Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust (DIHC). The doctored timesheets claimed payment for shifts not worked at two GP surgeries in Dudley: St James Medical Practice and Eve Hill Medical Practice.
Lavender fraudulently obtained £63,835 from the NHS by submitting altered timesheets on 69 occasions between September 2022 and March 2024. In some cases, he even continued submitting false timesheets after he had stopped working for DIHC. The staffing agency has since repaid part of these funds.
Though Kilgallon did not receive payments directly from Lavender, he gained an estimated £1,223 in commission by keeping Lavender on assignment with DIHC. NHSCFA financial investigators are now using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover the remaining lost funds.
Ben Harrison, Head of Operations and Engagement at NHSCFA, commented: “This conviction highlights the dedication of our investigators in unraveling complex fraud through banking records, telecommunications, and thorough interviews. The case underlines the necessity of rigorous timesheet verification to protect NHS resources. We remain committed to pursuing those who betray public trust and defraud the NHS.”
Anyone suspecting NHS fraud can report it anonymously via the 24-hour hotline on 0800 028 40 60 or confidentially online through the NHSCFA website.