__
A story involving the NHS emerged this week that should have HR departments on the lookout for potential and current staff who could be lying about their qualifications. A builder faked multiple university-level qualifications to land several top NHS jobs.
–
–
Jon Andrewes, from Devon, referred to himself as a Doctor and put fake PhDs on his CV, as he blagged his way to becoming Chairman of two NHS Trusts and a hospice – Plymouth Herald reports. Further lies on Andrewes’ CV included: a first-class degree; a masters; and employment at the Home Office – a position he would have taken at just 16-years-old, if it were true.
–
–
Amazingly, Andrewes kept up the con for over a decade, as his first top-level position was in 2004. It was not until 2016 that NHS bosses discovered that his impressive cross-sector credentials were faked. Appearing at Exeter Crown Court, Andrewes pleaded guilty to charges of dishonesty, false representation and making a financial gain from false representation. He was handed concurrent two-year sentences for his crimes.
–
–
Surprisingly, Andrewes’ defence lawyer claimed that former colleagues provided Andrewes with glowing references: calling him “dedicated”, “respected” and “honest”. The court also heard that, whilst Andrewes performance was sometimes unsatisfactory, he wasn’t actively damaging in his role.
–
–
Yet, incredibly, the builder-turned-NHS-boss beat off over 100 candidates to become Chair of Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust in 2015 – previously earning circa £1million over a ten-year period of lies. He also secured positions as Chairman of Torbay NHS Care Trust and CEO of St Margaret’s Hospice.
–
–
For HR departments, the risks posed by candidates with dishonest CVs can be several-fold. Two years ago, bosses at The Cash Generator in Edinburgh were robbed of £130,000 by a man with false accountancy credentials, whilst research by the Risk Advisory Group found that one candidate lied about working abroad to cover-up prison time for drug offences. Potentially this could have put colleagues at risk.
For help and guidance with your businesses HR practices, please contact HPC on this website, we can potentially save your company thousands of £.
Link to a full article on this issue by HR Grapevine: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/content/article/news-2017-03-07-disohonest-builders-cv-of-lies-blags-top-nhs-position