Senior NHS manager gained his job at Oxford University Hospitals by falsely claiming he had a degree

Peter Knight was a director on the board of Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, serving as its chief information and digital officer from August 2016 until his resignation in September 2018.

He has today (Jan 23) been ordered by Oxford Crown Court to complete 30 hours of rehabilitation and 200 hours of upaid work.

The locally-led fraud investigation began after an anonymous tipoff was reported by OUH’s chief finance officer to the Trust’s local counter fraud specialist (LCFS).

All of the Trust’s executive and non–executive directors’ files had been updated in November 2017 as part of its duties under the fit and proper persons checks.

However, when checked during the investigation, Knight’s HR file did not contain a copy of the degree certificate he had claimed to have.

Possessing a relevant degree was not formally an essential requirement for applicants: those with “at least ten years’ experience in senior management positions within sizable organisations” could apply without one.

Knight pleaded guilty at his first appearance on December 3 2019 at Oxford Magistrates Court.

Sue Frith, CEO of the NHS counter fraud authority, said today:“Today’s sentencing of Peter Knight for fraud against the NHS is a reminder that the law and the rules apply to all in the NHS.

"Anyone who obtains an NHS job through lying is committing fraud.

"Any suspicion of fraud against the NHS should be reported via our fraud and corruption reporting line, either online or by telephone."