A hospital has admitted to serious shortcomings in the way it handled payments from expectant parents for ultrasound pictures after it was alleged that staff kept the money in a private bank account and used it to fund staff parties.
Sources at St George’s hospital in Tooting, south London, contacted the Guardian to report that staff from the foetal medicine unit had been interviewed as part of a fraud investigation after £20,000 in cash was found in a filing cabinet.
When pregnant women visit the unit for their 12- and 20-week scans, they can buy up to three ultrasound images of their developing babies for £3 each. It has been alleged that instead of recording the cash collected and paying the funds into a central hospital trust account, the money was being spent on staff meals, leaving parties and trips abroad.
The St George’s University Hospitals NHS foundation trust insisted there had been no fraud but admitted that two investigations had found its money-handling systems “fell well short” of expected standards. It did not confirm how many people were investigated as part of its enquiries but said there had been no internal disciplinary procedures as a result.
Doctors and midwives at the hospital scan about 7,000 expectant mothers a year. The hospital said it could not establish how much money had been brought in but if half those women bought the maximum six photos they were allowed the income would amount to more than £300,000 over five years.
A source told the Guardian: “A member of staff was making periodical trips to the bank to deposit money. Upon further investigation there was £20,000 cash found on the premises in a filing cabinet.
“Staff were really shocked to find out what was going on. One midwife who was interviewed was completely heartbroken.”
It is understood the situation was brought to the attention of NHS Protect, and the police were called. Staff were interviewed in March this year as part of an investigation that has only recently concluded.
A second source confirmed that a large amount of cash was found in a drawer and said the money was being used for leaving parties, staff meals and trips abroad to conferences. “The reaction at the hospital is one of shock and surprise especially as this had been going on for years,” the source said.
The source added: “At the end of the day you are taking money from NHS patients but where is it going? I don’t think they’d expect it to be being used in this way.”
Following two parallel investigations no evidence of fraud was established but the trust has admitted its “systems for collecting and handling money were not robust”.
In response to a freedom of information request asking for the total sum made from pre-term scan photos for the past five financial years St George’s University Hospitals NHS foundation trust said: “We are unable to provide a figure because deposits were made into a non-trust bank account which received monies from scans, as well as from delegates paying to attend study days organised by the foetal medicine unit. These different account streams cannot be separated.”
The trust confirmed that cash-based transactions were made until 2017, when a new system was introduced whereby payment could only be made electronically by card directly into a trust bank account and not by cash.
The trust said: “Prior to this payments were made in cash which was collected and paid into a non-trust bank account up until June 2015. This practice was stopped and from June 2015, payment was still collected in cash but deposited into a trust account.”
Asked what the money was spent on, the trust said: “Since June 2015, all monies from foetal medicine scans have been deposited into a trust account, and used to deliver and improve the foetal medicine service for patients.
“Prior to June 2015, monies were deposited into a non-trust bank account. This practice was stopped in June 2015.”
Many antenatal wards across the UK give scan photos away for free or request a donation for the printouts. Other hospitals charge a fee with the amount varying between trusts.
Alison Richards, whose daughter is now three, paid for scan photos at St George’s hospital in Tooting on two occasions prior to her baby’s birth in September 2014.
She said: “You assume when you hand over the money that it’s going back into improving services, given how cash-strapped the NHS is and the pressures on neonatal care. At the very least you’d expect a degree of transparency and for it to be paid into an official hospital trust bank account.”
A spokesperson for St George’s University Hospitals NHS foundation trust said: “We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously. Following an internal investigation undertaken by the trust’s counter-fraud team, and an independent external investigation, we can confirm that no evidence of fraud has been established.
“However both investigations concluded that some of our systems for collecting and handling money were not robust and fell well short of the high and scrupulous standards we expect. This is not acceptable and we have worked with the service to ensure lessons are learned and to put the correct systems in place.
“Finally we would like to stress that no concerns whatsoever have been raised about the standard of care our foetal medicine service provides and women using the service will continue to receive a high standard of care.”
