CAse STudy

How leading healthcare organisations mitigate fraud with Konfir

Why healthcare organisations need Employment Verifications

In recent weeks, multiple incidents of failed employment verification have made headlines, highlighting the critical need for robust verification processes. One particularly shocking case involves a nurse who faked her qualifications and employment history to secure a senior position at the NHS. This case study will delve into this high-profile case, demonstrating the severe consequences of inadequate employment verification and how Konfir, and our employment verification and insights tools, could have prevented this scandal.

Fraud and misrepresentation on the rise

Research conducted by CIFAS found that 1 in 10 Brits admit to having lied on their CV and know someone who has lied on their CV. Between 2022 and 2023, we also saw a 39% increase in users searching "lying on CV" through Google. What’s more, when asked whether they would report a colleague who had lied on their CV, respondents were more likely to not report them (39%) than to report them (28%). 

In a recent high-profile case, a nurse was found guilty of fraud and false representation after she falsely claimed to have served in the Army and faked her qualifications to secure a senior role at the NHS. While the nurse will no longer be a regular sight at the hospital, the damage this case has caused will continue to linger.

The negative headlines surrounding this story have likely reduced trust in the NHS, a crucial public institution. Additionally, relations between staff and patients are expected to become strained due to increased mistrust. What made this story particularly worrisome was that the nurse was entrusted with the care of newborn babies – arguably the most vulnerable demographic in society.

The fallout from this lack of robust employment verification are severe and include:

  1. Reputational damage: Public trust in the NHS has been undermined, potentially affecting patient confidence and the institution's reputation.
  2. Internal strain: Trust among staff members can be eroded, leading to a more suspicious and less cohesive working environment.
  3. Vulnerability of patients: The fact that the nurse was caring for newborns highlights the grave risks posed by fraudulent hires in sensitive roles.
Preventing future scandals with Konfir

This case underscores the importance of thorough employment verification. Konfir helps prevent such incidents by ensuring that all candidates’  work histories are accurately verified before hiring. By implementing robust verification processes, organisations can protect their reputations, foster trust among employees, and ensure the safety of those they serve.

Konfir is already being used by over 100 organisations in Healthcare to ensure the integrity of new hires is properly understood. Through Konfir, employers benefit from Employment Verification, CV Comparison, the Reference Fraud Check, and the Undeclared Employment Check to mitigate both soft and hard fraud. 

With Konfir’s suite of tools, organisations can identify concealed employments, flag potential reference fraud, and uncover undisclosed gaps through employment attribute alerts – instantly.

Tom McAuliffe
Head of Product
Konfir verifies staff who have been employed by organisations including:
Case Study: How leading healthcare providers protect their organisations with Konfir


The risks faced by employers in healthcare are real and well-documented. That's why leading healthcare providers use Konfir to pre-screen staff while they wait for references to come back. 

By using Konfir, organisations receive instant pre-built reports for 88% of their candidates who chose to use Konfir. The instant report includes verified periods of employment as well as gaps in employment, with red flags instantly highlighted. This case study explores the tool-kit healthcare providers employ using Konfir to mitigate fraud and protect their organisations and patients.

Check for differences in Employer Names

This example shows the verifier that the candidate didn't work for NHS Professionals as was declared on their CV, but rather they worked for Paystream Umbrella Limited, which is a well-known umbrella company.

Check for differences in Employment Dates

This example shows that the start date declared by the candidate was 14 days different to what Konfir instantly verified using three data sources, which resulted in a new Gap in Employment that required investigation.

Check for Undeclared Employments

This example shows an additional (undeclared) employment identified by Konfir, that may have been concealed by the candidate to avoid a reference being sent to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. This alert allowed the candidate's new employer to send a reference to the undeclared employer anyway to ensure there was no malpractice being concealed.

Healthcare organisations have an 88% conversion rate through Konfir and acts swiftly on verified data and any red flags that are returned. For the remaining 12%, organisations still benefit from the Reference Fraud Check, and will soon benefit from the Trading Date Check, because these do not require any data to be provided by the candidate to work.

Reference Fraud Check

This example warns organisations to perform extra due diligence when reviewing references and documents from the candidate because the declared employer name has been reported to Konfir as suspicious or being used as part of a fake reference in the past.

Company Trading Date Check

This example informed the candidate's new employer that the candidate has likely exaggerated their employment with Debenhams PLC, because the organisation stopped trading in 2021. Konfir sourced this data from Companies House and automatically compared the company's trading dates to the employment dates provided by the candidate.

The new employer also knew not to waste time chasing references from Debenhams given the company has dissolved, and instead to mitigate risk by leveraging alternative evidence like Konfir’s Instant Employment Verifications, character references, and social media checks. 

By focusing on this one compelling case study, we hope to emphasise the critical need for accurate employment verification and the devastating consequences of neglecting this crucial step.

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