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Convicted nurse insists she is innocent of fraud
Professional hearing delays its decision until court appeal
A PSYCHIATRIC nurse is to appeal against a conviction for defrauding the NHS by dishonestly working while claiming to be ill.
Stella Njoku, 47, was fined £250 and ordered to pay £478 compensation to Whittington Hospital in Archway by Highbury magistrates in March last year after being found guilty of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.
Since then, Ms Njoku, who worked in Waterloo psychiatric unit at the hospital, has been fighting to save her professional nursing career.
On Monday she told a panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the West End that she still intended to prove through the courts that she was innocent of the charges.
The panel has the power to effectively stop her working as a nurse by striking her off the registry.
Ms Njoku, who is from Nigeria, will argue that she pleaded guilty to the charge at court without realising the full consequences for her career.
She maintains that she was not employed by Whittington Hospital at the time of the offences.
Two witnesses gave evidence under oath at Monday’s hearing, testifying to her good character and reliability.
Retired staff nurse Gloria Medina, with 43 years’ experience, said Ms Njoku, who originally worked for an agency, was “always reliable and worked very hard”.
She added: “We kept bringing her back to work in the hospital because patients and staff liked her. Most of all she was an intelligent nurse with good observation and note-taking skills. That’s what you need in a mental ward.”
The panel heard that, while the court appeal is pending, Ms Njoku has been working part-time as an agency nurse.
She is separated from her husband but has five dependent children aged five to 12 in Nigeria following the death of their parent, one of her relatives.
The panel’s chairwoman, Elizabeth Rush, said they would wait for the outcome of the appeal before deciding what if any action to take against Ms Njoku.
Although no date has been fixed, the court appeal is expected to take place in January. |
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