A former GP practice manager who admitted stealing more than £517,000 from an NHS surgery has avoided being sent immediately to prison after a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Helena Paiva, 33, defrauded Albion Street Practice in Southwark, south London, over a period of more than two years, taking £517,260.29 between January 2023 and July 2025.

Southwark Crown Court heard that Paiva used money belonging to the practice to fund an expensive lifestyle, buying luxury clothing, jewellery, handbags, a Tesla vehicle and a large television. She also spent thousands of pounds through Amazon on various personal purchases, including car accessories and vaping products.

Prosecutors said the fraud involved disguising transfers to her personal bank account so they appeared to be legitimate business payments.

Paiva altered financial records and bank statement descriptions, using names that closely resembled genuine suppliers or organisations. The changes were subtle enough that the transactions were not immediately detected.

The deception eventually came to light, and Paiva reportedly offered to return the money while asking colleagues not to involve the police.

However, after officers searched her home, they discovered large quantities of luxury goods, including clothing and accessories linked to high-end brands. Some purchases were reportedly still being delivered while police were at the property.

Only around £7,000 of the stolen money had been recovered by the time of sentencing, while further proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act are expected to examine what additional assets can be recovered.

Colleagues describe sense of betrayal

The court heard emotional statements from members of staff at Albion Street Practice, who said Paiva’s actions had caused serious financial and personal damage.

Colleagues said they had trusted her with responsibility for the surgery’s finances and were shocked to discover that money intended to support patient services and staff had instead been diverted for personal spending.

One GP told the court that the practice was not a large corporation but a small organisation whose partners and employees depended on its income.

The fraud also affected money that could have been used to pay doctors for additional work and threatened the financial stability of the surgery, the court heard.

Another colleague said Paiva had openly displayed some of her purchases during the period of the fraud, presenting them as the rewards of hard work.

Judge says greed drove offending

Paiva admitted one count of fraud by abuse of position and had no previous convictions.

Her defence told the court that she felt deep remorse and shame over her actions. The court also heard that she has two children, aged 12 and four.

Sentencing her, Judge Christopher Hehir said Paiva had abused a position of significant trust and that the impact on her former colleagues had been severe.

He rejected the suggestion that personal difficulties could explain or excuse the scale of the offending and concluded that greed had been the main motivation behind the fraud.

The judge said the offence would ordinarily justify an immediate prison sentence. However, he took into account Paiva’s responsibility for her young children as well as the intense pressure currently facing the prison system.

Paiva was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years.

She was also ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

The judge made clear that she had come extremely close to being taken directly into custody.

The case highlights the serious consequences that can follow when employees in trusted financial positions abuse access to public healthcare funds, as well as the continuing effort to recover money obtained through fraud.