An NHS manager allegedly claimed her mother had died to obtain compassionate leave, then took another job 170 miles away, paying £550 a day

An NHS HR manager told her employer that her mother had died, took compassionate leave, and began a new job in Birmingham paying £550 a day, a court has heard. Leanne Underhill, 46, worked at University Hospitals Dorset. The trust became suspicious in May 2024 when a recruitment firm asked for a reference. She admitted the lie in November 2024. On 16 February 2026, Poole Magistrates’ Court sentenced her for three counts of fraud by false representation. The court heard she had dishonestly obtained £2,258 in wages, and she was ordered to repay £6,948.25 in £150 monthly instalments.Why did an NHS manager allegedly fake her mother's deathAccording to Independent, Underhill had in fact secured another HR role at Birmingham City Council, 170 miles from the trust. Mr Salame told the court she started there on a daily rate of £550. The NHSCFA states that during the same period she presented fit notes despite being fit to work, and that she undertook additional employment for part of that time.The trust became suspicious at the end of May, according to The Independent, when the recruitment firm Morgan Law asked it for a reference for the Birmingham job. Mr Salame said her contract at the council was then terminated. The NHS Counter Fraud team began an investigation and interviewed her in July 2024.How did the NHS manager admit to faking her mother's deathAccording to NHSCFA, Underhill, then 46, admitted in the July interview that she had started a job elsewhere. She said she could not return to the trust because of problems with her line manager. She ended the voluntary interview when asked about her mother and the bereavement leave.At a second interview in November 2024, she admitted that her mother had not died, according to The Independent. The paper reports that she blamed acute mental health problems stemming from drink and drug issues. The NHSCFA says she pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Poole Magistrates' Court on 4 December 2025.How was the NHS manager ordered to repay £6,948Underhill was sentenced at Poole Magistrates' Court on Monday 16 February 2026, the NHSCFA says. The Independent reports she was sentenced for three counts of fraud by false representation covering May and June 2024. The court heard that she had dishonestly obtained £2,258 in wages, and that the investigation had cost the NHS £4,940. She had already repaid £250, and Deputy Judge Roderick Hine ordered her to pay the remaining £6,948 as compensation. The NHSCFA gives the figure as £6,948.25, covering her full salary overpayment and the full investigation costs. She is to repay it in monthly instalments of £150, starting on 1 March 2026.The Independent reports that Underhill, who represented herself, told the court she was "deeply ashamed" of her actions. The NHSCFA quotes Pete Papworth, the trust's chief finance officer, as saying that "The NHS is under huge financial pressure". He added that the trust was pleased the case had been resolved with the money paid back to go towards patient care.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.