How Ex-Labour Candidate faked his way into Senior NHS Roles

A former Labour parliamentary candidate has been jailed for four years after using fake university degrees and fabricated references to secure senior NHS roles across England.

Amran Hussain admitted three counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on July 24, 2026.

The former Labour candidate for North East Hampshire in the 2015 general election carried out an eight-year campaign of fraud, using false qualifications from the universities of Oxford, Harvard and Birkbeck to secure 13 senior NHS positions.

Hussain also created fictitious employment histories and references to support his applications, allowing him to obtain roles with salaries exceeding £78,000 a year.

During his fraudulent career, he applied for 2,071 NHS jobs between July 2014 and September 2022.

His 13 successful applications cost the taxpayer £168,072.41, although the total amount was reduced because he repeatedly went on sick leave after being hired.

Out of 1,902 days employed, Hussain took 1,332 days off sick, the equivalent of almost three years and eight months.

He claimed to suffer from various conditions, including post-Covid-19 syndrome, anxiety, depression, tiredness, headaches, neck pain, pelvic pain, vertigo, dizziness and migraines.

One of the most senior roles Hussain secured was head of outpatient pathway redesign at University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

After signing his contract, he worked just one shift during his 116 days of employment, taking 115 days of sick leave.

His fraud was eventually uncovered in 2021 after Devon Partnership NHS Trust offered him a deputy chief operating officer role worth £90,000 a year.

As part of its recruitment checks, the trust investigated Hussain’s claim that he had previously worked as director of transformation and improvement at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust.

However, no record of his employment could be found, leading investigators to uncover his wider deception.

Hussain was later found to have fraudulently secured other positions outside the NHS, including roles at Nottingham CityCare Partnership and Kent County Council.

He was arrested on November 24, 2022, at a rented cottage in Westerham, Kent.

During court proceedings, Hussain continued to make false claims, including stating that he was a war hero who had completed two tours with the British Army.

When questioned about where he had served, it emerged he had only been an Army Reservist.

Hussain’s political career began before his fraud was uncovered. He stood as Labour’s parliamentary candidate for North East Hampshire at the 2015 general election.

He received 5,290 votes, losing to Conservative candidate Ranil Jayawardena, who secured 35,573 votes.

During his campaign, Hussain was photographed with then-Labour leader Ed Miliband and comedian and actor Suzy Eddie Izzard.

In June 2015, he also faced criticism after posing for a selfie at the site of the Marhaba Beach terrorist attack in Sousse, Tunisia, two days after 38 holidaymakers, including up to 30 Britons, were killed by ISIS militant Seifeddine Rezgui.

It is understood Hussain is no longer a member of the Labour Party.

Ben Harrison, Head of Operations at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, said:

“Hussain engaged in a sustained pattern of fraud, repeatedly misrepresenting his experience and qualifications to secure senior roles he was not entitled to hold.

“Such behaviour undermines trust in NHS recruitment processes and diverts public money away from frontline services.

“We will continue to work closely with NHS organisations to strengthen recruitment controls, protect public funds and ensure those who abuse the system are held to account.”