Dentist Jayantilal Bhikhabhai Mistry (67), of Wren Avenue, Willesden Green, north London, is said to have allegedly lied about thousands of patients and about treatments, in order to fraudulently claim £780,000 from the NHS.
According to a judge at Blackfriars Crown Court, Mistry committed “fraud on a grand scale”.
In court, Mistry admitted false accounting and fraud by false representation between 1997 and 2013. He was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.
Jayantilal Mistry's practice was based in Kentish Town, London. It is said that he had claimed to have treated 3,360 patients, some of which were fictitious while some were also real.
To date, it is said that approximately £770,000 of the money has been recovered, however, Mistry must also pay £50,000 for the investigation costs.
NHS Protect's investigation searches were made at Mistry's home where dental records were allegedly found kept in fruit crates and Sainsbury's shopping bags. They also revealed that up to 90% of Mistry's 'patients' were untraceable, while nearly 300 of their addresses that Mistry used did not actually exist.
Mistry allegedly also used real x-rays and fabricated dental prescriptions to deceive the NHS.
Managing Director of NHS Protect, Susan Frith said, “Like all dentists, Jayantilal Mistry was in a position of trust, but he totally abused that trust through repeated fraud on a grand scale over a long period of time. This shocking behaviour cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds but thanks to the actions of NHS Protect’s investigators he has already had to pay back £775K of it. All suspicions of fraud reported to NHS Protect will be followed up, and investigated wherever appropriate. We press for the prosecution of offenders and seek the strongest possible sanctions, so public money is not diverted from patient care.”
