A former NHS resident doctor has been sentenced to three years in jail. It came after he admitted defrauding the NHS out of more than £268,000.
That followed an NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) investigation. On November 4, 2025, 61-year-old Richard Akinrolabu was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation.
Akinrolabu had been employed as a trust grade specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology by the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) in London. It forms part of King’s College Hospitals (KCH) NHS Foundation Trust.
A trust grade specialist registrar is a type of resident doctor – what used to be called a junior doctor. Officials say that between October 2018 and December 2021, he worked on-call and night shifts at three additional trusts.
This was despite him informing his employer that he was unfit to do the same work for them. He worked these shifts whilst on sick leave or on reduced duties from King’s College Hospital.
As well as paying Dr Akinrolabu his full salary, the trust had to employ locums to cover these shifts. In November 2021, KCH received information that Akinrolabu had been working night shifts at Basildon Hospital.
Inquiries by the trust’s local counter fraud team found that he had worked a number of on-call shifts there. The trust and NHSCFA investigators then obtained witness evidence.
This showed that Akinrolabu had worked at Princess Alexandra Hospital, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust and Mid-South Essex NHS Foundation Trust whilst on reduced duties from KCH. KCH provided evidence which confirmed that he had neither sought nor received permission to carry out secondary employment.
Timesheet and payroll information obtained from the other three trusts showed that the majority of shifts that he had worked were at night and on-call. That was despite him claiming to be unfit to do either.
In June 2022, the local counter fraud team interviewed Akinrolabu under caution, during which he gave a “no comment” response. Following further investigation by the NHSCFA, he was subsequently charged with four counts of fraud by false representation.
Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said: “This case demonstrates a clear and deliberate abuse of trust by an NHS professional who knowingly breached the conditions of his employment for personal gain. By working additional on-call and night shifts, despite being unfit to do so, Akinrolabu defrauded the NHS of substantial funds that should have supported patient care.
“The NHS Counter Fraud Authority will continue to ensure that those who seek to exploit the health service for their own benefit are identified and brought to justice.” In sentencing, Judge David Miller said: “You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.”
