AN NHS finance manager who cheated two East Lancashire community centres out of £8,000 has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Philip Parr, 43, who worked for NHS East Lancashire, which provides community healthcare services for Burnley, Hyndburn, Ribble Valley and Rossendale, first tried to blame the missing cash on colleagues.

But Parr, of Ash Tree Grove, Oak Ridge, Nelson, who was responsible for petty cash and banking at the Chai Centre in Burnley and The Family Tree Centre in Brierfield, was caught out following a probe by the NHS counter-fraud service in November 2008.

Missing money had been uncovered during audits of the two centres, including income from the day nursery at Brierfield and the gym and cafe budgets at the Chai Centre in Daneshouse.

NHS officials say when Parr was first confronted about the outstanding cash, he said he had been moving money around to try and cover for staff thefts.

But he later withdrew the claim when he pleaded guilty to fraud, between April 2007 and March 2008, during a Bolton Crown Court hearing earlier this year.

Management accountant Parr has now been sentenced to 52 weeks in prison, suspended for two years.

He must also carry out 200 hours community service and wil be under the supervision of the probation service for 12 months.

Parr was sacked in November 2008 as a result of the counter-fraud inquiry, the service has confirmed.

NHS fraud investigators examined income sheets prepared by Parr against receipts and invoices.

His paperwork did not reflect the true income from the gym and café at the Chai Centre.

His income sheets for the nursery at the Family Tree Centre were also found to be wrong.

NHS counter-fraud officials have said Parr started in a junior position with the Health Service in 1989, working his way up to a post paying £31,000 a year.

Pauline Smith, NHS regional fraud manager, said: “Most who work for the NHS are honest, but sadly there is a minority who are not.

“Parr had a comfortable job with a good salary but has thrown his career away.

"We will thoroughly investigate any suspicion of fraud against the NHS.”