A former NHS nurse who stole over £100,000 from elderly and vulnerable patients in his care has been permanently struck off the nursing register. Kelvin Ramasta, who was employed at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison in April 2024 after admitting to three counts of theft.
Struck off the NMC
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has now removed Ramasta from the profession following a Fitness to Practise Committee hearing. The panel determined that his actions represented a severe breach of trust and placed patients at significant risk.
The investigation
Ramasta’s fraudulent activity came to light when his bank flagged suspicious transactions. Between November 2021 and April 2022, he transferred £101,000 in increments of £1,000 from the bank account of an elderly dementia patient, identified as ‘Person A’. He also stole £203.29 from ‘Person B’ and £1,000 from ‘Person C’. The latter case was discovered when Person C’s husband received a bank alert regarding an unusual cheque payment to Ramasta. Family members visiting the hospital then found money and bank cards missing from the patient’s belongings.
Following these revelations, Ramasta was suspended by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in April 2022 and officially dismissed in January 2023. The case proceeded to court, where the sentencing judge condemned Ramasta’s actions as premeditated and exploitative, stating that he had stolen “all you could” to fund a lifestyle of gambling, travel, and luxury items.
“Blinded by money”
Despite admitting to the thefts in court, Ramasta later claimed in regulatory documents that he had only done so to secure a reduced sentence. In an October 2024 submission to the NMC, he insisted he was a “good nurse” who had simply been “blinded by the money.” He also expressed remorse, saying, “I genuinely feel sorry for all the family I’ve mistaken with.”
The NMC panel, however, ruled that Ramasta posed a “high risk of repetition” due to the calculated nature of his offences, which involved multiple victims over an extended period. They concluded that his removal from the register was necessary to maintain public trust in the nursing profession and uphold professional standards.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the duty of care healthcare professionals owe to their patients. The striking off of Ramasta underscores the NHS’s zero-tolerance approach to misconduct, ensuring that those who exploit vulnerable individuals are held accountable.
