Cardiff: Fraudulent NHS doctor's suspension extended

A gambling-addicted doctor who was convicted of fraud has had his misconduct suspension extended by four months.

Dr Aled Meirion Jones, from Cardiff, admitted two counts of defrauding the NHS of £67,420 in January 2021.

He was later sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, and given 200 hours of unpaid work.

A medical practitioners' tribunal in October 2021 also suspended his registration as a doctor for 12 months.

Dr Jones defrauded the NHS as he claimed for shifts he had not worked and stole cheques, while also borrowing from friends.

The tribunal service held a review hearing which looked at evidence about Dr Jones' ongoing recovery from his gambling addiction.

However, the tribunal concluded Dr Jones' fitness to practise remains impaired because of his fraud conviction.

The panel agreed to extend his suspension for a further four months.

Dr Jones described his gambling addiction as "catastrophic" and said it had seen him lose £800,000.

"I'm enormously ashamed and I always will be, but I can't change the past and all I can do is recover and try to do good things," he said.