An NHS support worker pretending to be off work sick completed a full-time nursing degree while still receiving her wages.
Zahida Bibi, now 38, was a support worker at a psychiatric hospital in the city but was signed off work in August 2016, a few days after she claimed she had been struck on the arm with a brush by a patient.
She was eventually dismissed on medical grounds in June 2018, but had been paid around £40,000 by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust during that time.
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Despite claiming she was incapable of coming to work, Bibi undertook a full-time degree in mental health nursing at the University of Manchester, including 2,300 hours of work placements.
Bibi, of Clarkes Lane in Rochdale, successfully completed the degree and after graduating was hired as a staff nurse by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust in October 2019.
However her scam was uncovered when her new employers contacted Mersey Care for a reference, which prompted a counter-fraud investigation.
Bibi later pleaded guilty to fraud at Liverpool Crown Court and was handed a 16 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to repay the money to Mersey Care.
Her scheme was also rendered pointless by regulator the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) this month, after an independent disciplinary panel struck her off the register of nurses able to practise in the UK.
In a written judgment, the panel stated: "The panel found that this case involves serious dishonesty directly related to Miss Bibi’s nursing practice.
"The panel considered that Miss Bibi fraudulently acquired a large amount of money from the Trust, which was valued in excess of £40,000 over a prolonged period of time, for personal financial gain.
"The panel was of the view that Miss Bibi’s conduct resulting in her conviction was an indication of a dishonest practitioner, which could put patients at unwarranted risk of harm."
The panel also concluded Miss Bibi had not demonstrated any understanding of "why what she did was wrong".
Bibi is now indefinitely prohibited from working as a nurse in the UK.
A spokesman for Mersey Care told the ECHO: "We welcome the outcome of a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing into the conduct of a former staff member at the Trust.
"The staff member has not worked for the Trust since 2018 and Mersey Care co-operated fully in the investigation which led to their prosecution for fraud earlier this month.
"Mersey Care continues to expect the highest ethical standards from all our workforce, as outlined in our values and staff charter."
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