Neonatal nurse jailed for five years after faking qualifications

• ITV Wales' Richard Morgan reports

A woman who gave false information and lied about her qualifications when applying and interviewing for a job as a senior nurse at a neonatal unit has been jailed for fraud.

Tanya Nasir, 45, was found guilty of nine charges including fraud, using a false instrument with intent, possession of articles for use in fraud, and securing unauthorised access to computer material with intent following a trial.

She was called “an accomplished liar", someone who “misrepresents”, “fakes”, and “forges".

Nasir, from Hertfordshire, has now been sentenced to five years in prison.

Nasir’s deception began in 2010, when she failed to disclose a conviction while studying for a diploma in Higher Nursing Education from Buckinghamshire New University. This was a breach of the university’s fitness to practice policy, but she gave the university a letter she had fabricated herself, claiming that it was from Hertfordshire Probation Service, which said she was not under any obligation to tell them about the convictions. This letter convinced the university to allow her to continue her studies.

From February 2013 until October 2015, the defendant was employed as a staff nurse assistant at Hillingdon Hospital and following qualification she then worked for a short period at Spire Bushey Hospital in Watford as a band five registered general nurse, before returning to Hillingdon until June 2019.

In September 2019, Nasir was employed in the role of a band seven ward manager at the neonatal ward of the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend.

It was found that the information the defendant provided on her application forms for employment at the Princess of Wales Hospital and for two applications to Hillingdon Hospital were false.

In January 2020, concerns were raised by her line manager at the Princess of Wales Hospital during a routine revalidation of her Nursing and Midwifery Council registration.

The line manager discovered inconsistencies with her references following further checks of Nasir’s application and CV.

Nasir was subsequently suspended from her post in February 2020 and an investigation began, finding anomalies with the defendant’s qualifications.

In her application she claimed she had qualified as a nurse and became registered with the Nursing Midwifery Council in 2010.

However, officers confirmed with the university that she did not qualify until 2014.

Further checks were made with four other universities she claimed to have obtained qualifications from. Three confirmed she never attended and the fourth confirmed that she did attend but did not have any record of her being awarded one of the qualifications outlined in her application.

Previous employers listed were also contacted. Many of them confirmed that Nasir was either not employed in the role she claimed to have worked in or that she had never been employed by them in any capacity.

In all three applications, Nasir claimed that she had served in the military. She said that she had been shot twice whilst deployed overseas. The investigation found that she had never been in the army or the army reserves.

She had joined the Cadet Force in November 2013, but was discharged and struck off in May 2016. She was never deployed in active combat or conflict.

When applying for a role at Hillingdon Hospital in 2015, one of the references given was from a Commanding Officer in the Territorial Army. The email address she provided for the reference was the one assigned to Nasir while she was in the Cadet Force. She used this address to fabricate her own reference and bolster her fraudulent job applications.

In July 2019, Nasir provided a reference containing lies and fabrications on behalf of another woman to enable her to also gain employment within the NHS.

On 21 April 2021, Nasir was arrested. Her property was searched, and digital devices and documents were seized. She was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court earlier this year.

Following Nasir’s conviction, Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board moved to reassure families, saying: "During the very short time that Ms Nasir was employed... her contact with babies and their families was extremely minimal.

"Following a thorough internal investigation, we can provide firm assurance to families… that no harm was caused due to Ms Nasir’s employment on the neonatal unit."

Gayle Ramsay, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Tanya Nasir deliberately lied about her qualifications and work experience so that she could gain employment in a senior and sensitive nursing role where she would be entrusted with the responsibility of caring for newborn babies.

"She went to incredible lengths to manipulate her way into positions that demand integrity and honesty, yet showed none. Not only did she betray the trust of her employers and colleagues, but her actions put the lives of vulnerable patients at significant risk.

"Working with investigators at the NHS Local Counter Fraud Authority, the prosecution was able to piece together a large amount of evidence and present it to a jury who saw through her lies and found her guilty."

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