Amran Hussain, 40, of French Street, Westerham, defrauded the NHS out of almost £170,000 after fraudulently obtaining 13 non-clinical roles within NHS organisations.

Ben Harrison, head of operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA), said: ‘This sentencing shows that the NHSCFA will always pursue consequences for those who deliberately deceive NHS organisations through false applications, fabricated qualifications and dishonest references.'

Hussain was found to have applied for 2,071 NHS posts, with 13 fraudulent employments resulting in a confirmed financial loss of £168,072.41.

He was caught after applying and being offered the role of deputy chief operating officer urgent care/transformation and operations at Devon Partnership NHS Trust in 2021.

Hussain falsely claimed in his application to be employed as director of transformation and improvement at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.

He also falsely claimed to have been awarded MSc degrees by the University of Oxford and Birkbeck, University of London and to be a member of several professional bodies, including the Institute of Directors and the Chartered Management Institute.

Hussain also dishonestly obtained roles as a non-executive director at Nottingham CityCare Partnership, commissioner of public health at Kent County Council and digital transformation programme lead at UK Health Security Agency.