Surgery manager made £18k in unauthorised payments
THE manager of a doctor’s surgery fraudulently authorised overtime and paid herself more than £18,000 in the process, a court heard.
Julie Ann Stevenson, 63, applied for the position of practice manager at Castle Surgery in Neath in February 2016 having worked in the industry since 1987.
In the autumn of 2018 monetary issues at the practice came to light but Stevenson was unable to explain to partners at the surgery why there was a shortage of funds. She left the role shortly afterwards and the examination of documents uncovered that between April 2016 and October 2018 she accessed the practice’s payroll system and made unauthorised overtime payments to herself which totalled £18,506.
Stevenson appeared for sentencing at Swansea Crown Court yesterday, having previously pleaded guilty to fraud. Prosecution barrister Christian Jowett explained that Stevenson was able to overpay herself by entering the payroll system and amending figures while at no point did she seek authorisation for the hours of overtime that she made financial claims for.
When interviewed under caution after the fraud came to light Stevenson said she had not been told that she had to authorise overtime in the surgery’s system and that she used to keep a note of it in her own diary. However in February 2018 she claimed nine hours overtime for attending a course that she did in fact not attend.
In mitigation defence barrister Ian Wright said his client had waited since 2020 for the matter to be resolved due to, among other things, a court backlog caused by the Covid19 pandemic and that she had already suffered the loss of her good character.
Mr Wright also said Stevenson did work some overtime over the period in question but admitted it was not authorised and “there was no suggestion of a lavish lifestyle” as a result of her fraudulent behaviour but rather that the money was “used for day-today life”.
It was also confirmed that the entire sum taken from the doctor’s surgery has now been repaid in full by Stevenson.
Judge Geraint Walters said the offending represented a “significant fall from grace” for Stevenson. He said: “It is perfectly plain that over a period of time you went about claiming overtime in your workplace which was irregular. You managed to obtain something in the order of £18,000 by awarding overtime to yourself.”
Citing her previous good character and the fact that she has repaid the money Judge Walters sentenced her to a period of six months in prison, suspended for 12 months. Stevenson, of Clasemont Road, Morriston, was also ordered to pay costs of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £128.