Nurse Falsified Licence for Essential Car User Role
A mental health nurse working in London has been suspended from practice for nine months after it was discovered she repeatedly lied about holding a valid UK driving licence to get and keep her job. Phyllis Mwangu admitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that she drove colleagues without a full licence or valid insurance, committing serious misconduct.
A Pattern of Dishonesty Uncovered
Mwangu's deception began during the application process for her position at the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. In her April 2022 job application for what was described as an 'essential car user position', she explicitly stated she had a full and valid driving licence and access to a car. She later repeated this false claim during her job interview.
According to the NMC report, she drove colleagues on more than one occasion, contrary to her own admission that it happened only once. The situation escalated in April 2023, when she provided a further false story to her manager, claiming she was disqualified from driving due to an unpaid speeding fine.
When asked for evidence of this ban, Mwangu could not provide any and eventually confessed that she had never held a full UK licence, having repeatedly failed her driving test. She resigned from her post before internal disciplinary proceedings could take place.
Legal Consequences and Panel's Decision
The NMC's investigating panel found that Mwangu had driven without a licence for a 'significant amount of time'. Her actions had legal repercussions; she was stopped by police in Hounslow and was later convicted on 27 October 2023 for driving without a licence or valid insurance.
At a hearing in October, Mwangu pleaded for a second chance, describing her actions as a 'massive mistake' driven by embarrassment and fear. She expressed remorse and stated she never put patients or service users at risk, highlighting her previously unblemished record and the financial hardship a suspension would cause her family.
However, the panel concluded that her dishonesty made her a risk to the public and that she had gained her employment 'by dishonest means'. They noted that while she showed genuine remorse, she 'struggled to understand the serious nature of the allegation'.
The panel decided that a nine-month suspension was the appropriate sanction, stopping short of striking her off the register because she was considered a good clinician with no prior complaints. Mwangu has 28 days to appeal the decision. A separate panel will review the suspension order upon its conclusion.
