The owner of a Bromsgrove-based practice has admitted to obtaining £37,000 from the NHS through false claims, it has been reported. It was alleged that claims were made for patients no longer alive.
Michael Hampton, a Stourport businessman, appeared before Kidderminster magistrates at the end of last month, the Shuttle Times & News (July 26) reported. He pleaded guilty to 29 offences of false accounting and, in addition, asked for 824 similar offences to be taken into consideration.
Prosecuting Paul Hitchcock said an inquiry had been launched after the number of claims appeared out of proportion to the size of the practice. After a police raid, Mr Hitchcock told the court that some of the claims had been found to be forgeries and included names of patients who were deceased.
Mr Hampton was arrested in October 2000 after Worcestershire Health Authority found an anomaly in the amount of claims it received (News, 10 November 2000). Last month he was bailed to appear for sentencing at Worcester Crown Court on August 24.
Mr HamptonÕs defence solicitor told the court that 90 per cent of the claims were genuine, although the businessman admitted to forging signatures of qualified optometrists who had examined patients Ð to speed up cash flow to the practice and admitted he was guilty of using names of patients who had died.
Neil McCrea, the Croydon optometrist, was jailed for 15 months last year after it was found that he had used the names of deceased patients to make fraudulent claims on the NHS. In March 2000 it was reported that health authorities involved were pursuing civil claims totalling œ600,000 against McCrea (News, March 31 2000).