Shropshire nurse accused of submitting expenses claims for conference she did not attend
A Shropshire nurse has been accused of submitting expenses claims for a conference she did not attend.
Deborah Jane Hudson is subject to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) substantive hearing, which started on Tuesday (November 18).
It is alleged that she wrongly received and retained payment for study leave which she was not granted for the purpose of attending a Primary Health Care (PHC) conference on May 11 and 12, 2022 when she did not attend, and wrongly submitted expenses claims for those dates.
Therefore, it is alleged that Mrs Hudson’s conduct was dishonest in that she knew she did not attend the conference, and was not entitled to claim expenses.
“I attended the venue, so I am still standing by that side of it,” she said.
“Yes, I did have difficulties at the time, but I did attend the venue.”
Mrs Hudson also does not admit that, on October 20, 2022, in a meeting with a colleague, she incorrectly stated that she had a certificant of attendance for the conference but had not brought it to the meeting.
Another charge she denies is that her conduct was dishonest in that she knew she had not attended one or more sessions at the relevant PHC conference and/or not possessted a certificate.
However, Mrs Hudson has admitted that, on September 6, 2022, in a meeting with another colleague, she incorrectly stated she had attended one or more sessions at the relevant PHC conference, and had a certificate of attendance but it had been shredded.
“I thought I had a certificate, but I didn’t for those dates at the time,” said Mrs Hudson.
“Initially, I thought I did have a certificate because I had all my certificates together. They were in a box file. There was one for the NMC and for May, and I did not take much notice because there was a lot of other things going on.
“I had taken them into work to hand over as I was requested, but they got mixed up with some other bits of pieces.
“They were half way through a shredder before I had chance to retrieve them. I wasn’t really paying attention to be honest. I couldn’t get a copy of it so I didn’t have any proof. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time and wasn’t thinking straight.
“I just saw part of a certificate at the time and just accepted that was what they were looking for.”
The hearing has been scheduled to last until November 27.
