Wolverhampton Doctor Suspended for Theft and Fraud

In a concerning case, a hospital doctor in Wolverhampton, Dr. Sandra Ndirika, has been suspended from her profession for a year after admitting to theft and fraud. According to the report, Dr. Ndirika, a urology trainee at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust, stole money and cloned bank cards from a vulnerable patient and a colleague in 2023.

The doctor received a suspended jail sentence of 32 weeks in January 2024 for her actions. A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MTPS) panel has now ruled that Dr. Ndirika's fitness to practice has been impaired, leading to the 12-month suspension.

The tribunal heard that Dr. Ndirika removed a wallet from a patient's coat during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking £30 and cloning the patient's bank card. She then used the cloned card to make purchases. The doctor also stole a nurse's bank card from her purse in the staff room and used it for an online food order.

In determining the sanction, the tribunal found that Dr. Ndirika's offenses breached professional standards and undermined trust in the medical profession. While the panel accepted that she had shown remorse and attempted to apologize, they concluded that the "risk of repetition" remained "likely" as she had not demonstrated sufficient understanding of the impact of her actions.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust's chief medical officer, Dr. Brian McKaig, stated that the trust had suspended Dr. Ndirika as soon as the allegations were made, while the investigations were carried out.