A woman has been sentenced to six months in jail for deliberately attempting to defraud the NHS some £4million. NHS Resolution pursued committal proceedings on behalf of North Bristol NHS Trust in line with its strategy to combat and deter fraud by dishonest claimants.
Holly White, from Rackenford, North Devon, was sentenced at a committal hearing on Thursday, May 26 and she has also been ordered to pay back £45,000 of interim payments and meet the trust's costs of the committal application. The court found that White, 29, had knowingly exaggerated the effect of injuries sustained from a delay in diagnosing spinal cord compression (causa equina syndrome), arising from care provided in 2011.
She had previously had her claim struck out by the court and, while she claimed to have mobility issues and had to use a crutch, video surveillance showed her walking normally without assistance. She also claimed that she wasn't able to drive for long periods without suffering a great deal of pain and discomfort, however evidence provided to the court showed she had driven for 40 miles without stopping and, on another occasion, drove 18 miles to attend a party.
