Dr. Tom Horne received a county court summons at his door, informing him of a debt to the NHS. The summons wasn’t for a current bill, but for wages he had been overpaid years prior while working at Sherwood Forest NHS Trust, which runs King’s Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield. The case is one of thousands, as referrals to bailiffs to collect overpaid wages from NHS staff have increased from 1,807 in 2020-21 to 2,683 in 2024-25, according to recently obtained NHS data.
The practice of pursuing NHS staff over payroll errors has prompted concern from medical professionals and led to the establishment of a payroll improvement programme by NHS England, a spokesperson stated. Dr. Hamza Usman, another NHS employee, reported repeatedly flagging overpayments to his employer but said his concerns were ignored.
The issue extends beyond England. In Wales, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership, which handles payroll for Welsh NHS staff, confirmed that debt collection agencies are used “as a last resort when all local attempts to recover outstanding public monies have been exhausted,” in accordance with NHS Wales recovery of overpayments guidance.
The rise in referrals to bailiffs coincides with a broader increase in scams targeting individuals with false debt claims. A recent case involved a man in Northumberland who was contacted by criminals posing as bailiffs, attempting to extort thousands of pounds over a fictitious advertising debt. The scammers even duplicated the automated switchboard message of Worcester Crown Court to appear legitimate, according to a report by the BBC’s You and Yours program.
While the NHS addresses payroll errors, separate criminal activity exploits the fear of bailiff action. The BBC reported on February 17, 2025, that individuals are being tricked into paying fictitious debts by criminals impersonating bailiffs and threatening the removal of their possessions.
