Frauds relation to Nursing or Medical qualifications and identity

Summary

The request sought details on fraud investigations regarding staff qualifications and identity at Manx Care over the last five years, along with vetting procedures. The authority disclosed three specific investigations resulting in dismissals or warnings and outlined recruitment vetting standards, though it noted it does not vet agency staff.

Key Facts

• Three investigations into fraudulent qualifications or identity were conducted in the last five years.
• Two staff members (a Scientist and a Nurse) were dismissed following disciplinary hearings.
• A third staff member received a final written warning and subsequently resigned.
• Manx Care's HR team is responsible for vetting employees but not agency staff or contractors.
• The response details specific allegations including false CVs, unauthorized use of manager PINs, and non-disclosure of prior suspensions.

Data Disclosed

• 3 investigations
• May 2024
• October 2024
• February 2025
• March 2025
• May 2025
• April 2024
• August 2024
• January 2025
• 24 months
• 20 years
• 5 years

Original Request

In each of the last 5 years how many investigations have been undertaken in relation to fraudulent qualifications, registrations, identity or documents of persons working for Manx Care (whether directly employed or via an agency or other arrangement including personal services company)? In relation to each investigation, provide information about the date such investigation started, the nature of the allegation ( eg NMC registered nurse using false identity or fraudulently obtained certificate) and date of outcome and findings, any risks identified to safety and any consequential action taken in relation to such persons. What measures does Manx Care take to ensure its staff (employees, agency staff or consultants) are properly qualified, vetted and are not using a fraudulent identity, qualifications or registrations or have lied on their application form or cv? Does Manx Care require a DBS check or equivalent from every country in which an applicant has lived during the last 20 years?

Data Tables (12)

Full Response Text

Manx Care Noble’s Hospital, Strang Braddan, Isle of Man IM4 4R (01624) 650 000

Our ref: 5307257 24 February 2026

Dear *

We write further to your request, received 13 February 2026, which states:

"In each of the last 5 years how many investigations have been undertaken in relation to fraudulent qualifications, registrations, identity or documents of persons working for Manx Care (whether directly employed or via an agency or other arrangement including personal services company)?

In relation to each investigation, provide information about the date such investigation started, the nature of the allegation ( eg NMC registered nurse using false identity or fraudulently obtained certificate) and date of outcome and findings, any risks identified to safety and any consequential action taken in relation to such persons.

What measures does Manx Care take to ensure its staff (employees, agency staff or consultants) are properly qualified, vetted and are not using a fraudulent identity, qualifications or registrations or have lied on their application form or cv?

Does Manx Care require a DBS check or equivalent from every country in which an applicant has lived during the last 20 years?"

Response

In each of the last 5 years how many investigations have been undertaken in relation to fraudulent qualifications, registrations, identity or documents of persons working for Manx Care (whether directly employed or via an agency or other arrangement including personal services company)? From our records, in relation to the above question, there were three investigations under the disciplinary procedure, which resulted in a dismissal hearing and subsequent dismissal from employment.

In relation to each investigation, provide information about the date such investigation started, the nature of the allegation ( e.g. NMC registered nurse using false identity or fraudulently obtained certificate) and date of outcome and findings, any risks identified to safety and any consequential action taken in relation to such persons. Investigation 1:
Scientist

Allegations: 1. Dishonest in relation to recruitment.
2. That you were dishonest in relation to your CV. 3. That a work permit was granted using the false information.

Suspension: May 2024

Investigation: May 2024

Disciplinary Hearing: October 2024

Dismissal: October 2024

Investigation 2: Nurse

Allegations: 1. Made a revalidation submission to the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) without having carried out the required NMC revalidation standards with their line manager or another appropriate confirmer. 2. They submitted a revalidation confirmation without meeting the required standards, as set out by the NMC: 3. They confirmed that they had met the NMC required standard for CPD when there is no evidence to support this in their submission paperwork. 4. They entered their line manager’s NMC PIN as a revalidation confirmer without their knowledge or authorisation, therefore submitting a ‘fraudulent entry’ to remain on the NMC register.

Suspension: February 2025

Investigation: March 2025

Disciplinary Hearing: May 2025

Dismissal: May 2025

Investigation 3:

Allegations: 1. Did not declare to their employer that they were suspended from a role within Manx Care.

1. Did not declare as part of the recruitment process that they were under investigation when they had opportunity to do so.

Suspension: April 2024

Investigation: April 2024

Disciplinary Hearing: August 2024

Outcome: Final written warning (24 months)

Resigned: January 2025

What measures does Manx Care take to ensure its staff (employees, agency staff or consultants) are properly qualified, vetted and are not using a fraudulent identity, qualifications or registrations or have lied on their application form or cv? The Office of Human Resources’ Recruitment Team is responsible for processing the onboarding and vetting checks for Manx Care employees and casual staff, it is not aware of or responsible for the vetting of any agency staff or contractors. All new starters who are on boarded via the Office of Human Resources must meet the requirements laid out in the Pre-Employment Check Procedure which applies to all new starters across Isle of Man Public Service (who are on boarded via the Office of Human Resources). This document lays down the minimum identity verifications standards, how qualifications/professional registrations are verified/validated and how references are used to verify their employment history.

I have included the relevant extracts below.

ID Verification

Identity checks are required to minimise the risk of employing or engaging a person in any activity within the Isle of Man Public Service who is an illegal worker, avoiding the detection of a criminal offence or a person that is impersonating another.
The Isle of Man Public Service will ensure that the identity of all staff, covered by the scope of this procedure, has been verified before commencing any type of work.

Please note, identity checking for the purposes of verifying police check applications is different, please see the Police Check section of this procedure here.

Minimum requirements for identity checking For the purposes of identity checking, this procedure highlights the minimum standards required for the verification of the identity of individuals. All external new starters to the Isle of Man Public Service will need to provide either of these two combinations:

Option 1 Option 2 2 forms of photographic identification and 1 document confirming home address 1 form of photographic identification and 2 documents confirming home address.

All identity documents must be:

• Original or properly certified in line with the Certification of Pre-Employment Check Documents guidance • From a trustworthy and reliable source • In date or recently expired (ID that has expired in the last 6 months will be accepted)

The Office of Human Resources will take a scanned copy of each of the documents presented by the applicant and retain these on file. All scanned copies of original documents should be certified by the person taking the copy to declare that the original document was seen.

Qualifications

It is the overall responsibility of the Department/Board/Office to ensure that, by reviewing CVs, candidates hold the correct qualifications at the shortlisting stage of the recruitment process.

For roles where qualifications are listed as essential in the Person Specification, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence that they hold the required qualifications. Production of this qualification evidence will be a condition of the offer of employment and candidates will be required to provide original or properly certified copies of certificates.

If a Person Specification states that a candidate must be “willing to work towards” a certain qualification (or similar), this qualification will not be requested as part of the candidate’s conditional offer or pre-employment checks.

Professional Registrations

Professional regulation is intended to protect the public, making sure that those who practise a registered profession are doing so safely.

Hiring Managers must check professional registrations at shortlisting stage using the relevant professional register.

Offers of employment will be subject to the candidate being satisfactorily registered with the appropriate body. The candidate may be required to provide their unique registration number and permission to allow the Office of Human Resources to carry out the check.

The Office of Human Resources will check:
• That the individual is registered to carry out the proposed role

• Whether the individual is subject to any current restrictions on their registration that might affect the duties proposed
• If the individual's fitness to practice is being/or has been investigated and the regulatory body has a duty to disclose this information.

The register check outcome will be saved into the candidate’s recruitment file. Any concerns in relation to professional registration checks will be raised to the Hiring Manager for instruction on how to proceed with the appointment.

It is the responsibility of the Department/Board/Office to keep reviewing their registrations throughout employment.

References

Reference checks are used to verify information provided by an individual as well as assessing the candidate’s suitability for a post.

Candidates are required to provide details of their referees as part of their application form along with optional permission to contact them. It is mandatory to provide the details of a minimum of two referees, one of which should be a most recent/current employer or educational establishment. Referee details covering a three year employment history should be provided.

Employer or educational references must be provided from a corporate email address, private email addresses (Hotmail/iCloud/Gmail/Manx.net) are not acceptable unless in exceptional circumstances where the reference will have to be verified and validated by the Office of Human Resources by way of contacting the referee.

No references will be accepted from any of the candidate’s family members or from the Hiring Manager of the role being filled. References are generally sought using a standardised form via an online portal only after a job offer has been made and permission to contact referees is obtained. There may be some instances where references are sought prior to a conditional offer being made, however details of any sickness absences or medical history must not be requested.

References should be completed via the online reference portal in Jobtrain, via email or via post. In exceptional circumstances, a verbal reference can be given providing that the referee verifies their identity and the information provided is documented in writing by the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team.

All completed references are sent to the Hiring Manager to review and approve. In the absence of a Hiring Manager, for example a casual worker, the Office of Human Resources will review references and flag any issues or concerns to the Department/Board/Office contact.

External staff references For external staff members, references will be sought to validate a period of three consecutive years of employment and/or training immediately prior to the application being made.

The number of references may differ for each applicant, depending on how many episodes of employment/training they may have had in the last three years prior to making their application.

Where an individual has been with one employer for three years or more, one confirmation of employment/training is sufficient, provided that all requested details have been confirmed by the previous employer.

If there was a break in employment during the three year period, a character reference should also be sought.

Roles covered by the Regulation of Care Act 2013 The Regulation of Care Act 2013 sets out within its Minimum Standards that services regulated by the Act must obtain two references for all staff members. These references must be held locally at the service location within a Staff File.

For candidates being recruited to work in a care service, references will be sought to validate a period of three consecutive years of employment/and or training immediately prior to the application being made. If this does not result in two references being obtained, a further employer or character reference will be requested.

Does Manx Care require a DBS check or equivalent from every country in which an applicant has lived during the last 20 years? This is covered within the Pre Employment Check Procedure and I have included the relevant extract below. Please note, the below approach aligns with how NHS Employers deal with overseas police checks (See Section 7.4 on NHS Employers Criminal Record Checks Standards here)

Overseas police checks/Certificate of Good Standing

Criminal records are held in the country or jurisdiction where the offence or alleged offence occurred, therefore where recruiting from overseas, or where an applicant discloses that they have spent over 6 months abroad in the last 5 years, employers will need to request a police check or obtain a ‘letter/certificate of good standing’ from that country.

In addition to any overseas police check, a DBS check should also be completed to assure that the individual does not have a criminal record in elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Process for obtaining overseas police checks or letters of good standing For overseas candidates or for candidates who have spent over 6 months overseas in a period of 5 years their offer letter will detail the requirement to obtain an overseas police check or a letter of good standing. This is the candidate’s responsibility to source.

The UK Home Office website has very helpful guidance to obtain an overseas criminal record check.

Unable to obtain an overseas police check

It is not always possible to obtain a certificate from countries that do not have functioning criminal record regimes or refuse to provide these to anyone other than their own citizens. In the absence of an available overseas police check, the Isle of Man Public Service is required to obtain as much information as possible in the form of references, online searches and a UK DBS police check before deciding whether to continue with an offer of employment.

Please quote the reference number 5307257 in any future communications.

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If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

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