Staff left with ‘strong sense of betrayal’ after manager jailed for fraud

A former manager at a now-dissolved trust has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after using his position to defraud the organisation of more than £100,000.

Alec Gandy, a former senior operational manager at Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trust was sentenced along with two others at Wolverhampton Crown Court for his role in defrauding the trust of £123,090.

Mr Gandy pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position. He filed multiple false invoices and used the money to partly fund a “gambling habit” and to fund businesses he had formed, one of which was called “Crooked Spire.”

In its victim impact statement, the trust outlined how the stolen funds could have been used to pay the annual salaries of four nursing associates, two community paramedics or two clinical pharmacists. None of the money stolen has been recovered.

The statement added: “Many of the staff involved in the investigation and those across the wider workforce felt personally connected to Mr Gandy, and therefore have felt a strong sense of mistrust and betrayal from his actions. In turn, the investigation itself led to months of scrutiny over the activity across the service, which could have eroded the trust between the organisation and our contractors.” 

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Source: HSJ, 17 January 2026