A junior doctor who pocketed almost £10,000 in sick pay while working part-time at two different hospitals 160 miles apart has been cleared to return to medical work.
Dr Tracy Landu-Landu, 30, falsely claimed to have received taxpayer-funded benefits over a four-month period from the NHS in Merseyside despite working 38 locum shifts of up to 13 hours each in Lincolnshire.
Investigators found that Landu-Landu received £9,865.52 in sick pay while working a total of 350 hours at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and the COVID-19 room at Lincoln County Hospital.
Landu-Landu’s partner was reported to have even warned her that she could be fired if her deception was discovered, but it was claimed that she continued to manipulate public funds. She also lied to officials who confronted her about having worked while on sick leave.
In October last year, at the Manchester Medical Tribunal Service, Landu-Landu, who lived in Grantham, was found guilty of serious professional misconduct and was suspended for nine months.
Tracy Landu-Landu, 30, falsely claimed to have received taxpayer-funded benefits over a four-month period from the NHS in Merseyside despite working 38 locum shifts of up to 13 hours each in Lincolnshire.
But it emerged today that she had been deemed fit to return to work after a review hearing last month was told she had since become the subject of a media “storm”, internet “trolling” and “real-world social stigma” because of her behaviour. She now works as a doctor in Norway.
In a statement, Landu-Landu said: ‘I have realised that by my actions I have abused my employers, my colleagues and the public’s trust in the medical profession.
“I have shown a terrible lack of judgment, which is inexcusable regardless of any personal or prevailing circumstances. I have repeatedly reflected on my actions and wish to state in all honesty that I am very sorry.”
The scam occurred between August and December 2020 while Landu-Landu was working as a trainee doctor at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
At that time, her start date was delayed because she took a period off work due to an undisclosed illness and received occupational sickness benefit from the Trust totalling £9,865.52.
But unbeknownst to the health authority, Landu-Landu was working stand-in shifts of between eight and 13 hours at a time for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS.
In one month alone, Landu-Landu received £3,971.83 in sick pay and in another £2,498.41 while treating patients at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston (pictured) and on the Covid-19 ward at Lincoln County Hospital.
She was referred to the GMC in April last year following an investigation into her sick pay claims that lasted up to 16 months.
At the hearing, Landu-Landu admitted taking the money but said she had been suffering from stress due to “recent events in her life.”
She insisted that the conversation she had with her ex-partner about being sacked if she worked while collecting sick pay took place after the investigation had begun.
Landu-Landu said she did not believe she was officially on sick leave at the time, but was asked by HR staff at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to obtain a sick leave certificate. She said she knew she had acted wrongly, but refuted claims she did not correct her actions when she found out.
She later admitted to lying to a human resources officer who recorded that Landu-Landu had refused to work while requesting sick pay.
He said he had contacted the Trust and started repayment but had had “some difficulty arranging payment”.
In a personal reference to MPTS, a colleague known only as Dr B said: ‘She has been honest about her mistake with those around her, and has shown she understands the gravity of it and has also weathered the storm that came with this scandal, from online trolling to real-world social stigma.
Landu-Landu worked locum shifts of between eight and 13 hours at a time for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (Lincoln County Hospital pictured).
‘Please give him a second chance to redeem himself and continue doing what he loves.’
MPTS Chair Ms Sharmistha Michaels said: ‘The Tribunal is satisfied that Dr Landu-Landu has reflected on the seriousness of the misconduct, including the impact of that misconduct on her colleagues, the public and the profession and has developed a full understanding of these matters.
‘She has been making regular payments to the Trust and intends to complete them early next year.’
The Court also took into consideration that Dr Landu-Landu has worked in her current position in Norway since 2022, initially on a part-time basis, caring for both short-stay acute patients and long-stay chronic patients, and that she had informed the Norwegian Medical Licensing Authority of her suspension.
The court heard Landu-Landu was described as a person with “good medical knowledge” and well liked by his colleagues, patients and family.
“The Tribunal is satisfied that the misconduct has not been repeated and that Dr Landu-Landu has taken sufficient steps to remedy it,” Ms Michaels added.
“There is little risk of a recurrence of the conduct that was the subject of the October 2023 hearing. This Court has therefore determined that Dr. Landu-Landu’s fitness to practice is no longer impaired by his misconduct.”
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