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Nurse Faked Dad's Death and Pregnancy for Time Off
28 May
Summary
- Nurse lied about father's death and her own pregnancy.
- She was seen with her supposedly deceased father.
- The NMC removed her from the nursing register permanently.
A nurse has been struck off the professional register for fabricating highly emotive lies to secure time off work. Laura Colbeck, who worked for the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, falsely claimed her father had died in September 2021 to obtain compassionate leave. She was later seen with her father, who was alive and well, but insisted to management that a colleague was fabricating the sighting.
Colbeck later lied about being pregnant starting in June 2022, taking multiple days off work for claimed morning sickness. She also misled her ex-partner about being on maternity leave. Despite providing a doctor's note, the pregnancy was unverified, and she eventually admitted to lying about it.
An investigation concluded in March 2023, leading to her dismissal. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found her conduct particularly serious, stating her manipulative actions took advantage of colleagues' and managers' goodwill. The NMC determined her lies were fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the nursing register.
