Sarah-Jayne Packington, a former health care support worker, appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court on Friday 6 September 2024, having pleaded guilty in August 2024 to fraud by false representation, contrary to Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
She was sentenced to a 12-month High-Level Community Order and 140 hours of unpaid work. She was also ordered to repay £5,250 (the full value of the fraud) to the Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB), plus £500 in investigation costs and £95 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Packington had taken almost seven months of sick leave from SBUHB between 18 August 2021 and 12 March 2022. During this period, it was alleged that she had undertaken work as a community care worker for a third party.
She was initially arrested and interviewed under caution in March 2023. She was ordered to appear in court on 1 November 2023, but after failing to attend, a warrant for her arrest was granted. On 16 August 2024, she was arrested by South Wales Police and appeared before Swansea Magistrates Court, where she entered her guilty plea.
We would like to congratulate Local Counter Fraud Specialist (LCFS) Zoё Whetton and all those working on the case for achieving this outcome and we thank them for continuing to tackle fraud within the NHS.