A MAN who faked qualifications to scoop two top NHS jobs and earned over £1 million despite being a builder has been jailed for two years. 

Scheming Jon Andrewes, 63, was jailed today (March 6). He called himself 'doctor' and faked PhDs on his CV to become chairman of two NHS trusts and a hospice. 

He earned a six figure salary but the only qualifications he had were a higher education certificate in social work from the 1970s and a PGCE in teaching. 

Official records show he was in fact employed as a social worker, probation officer and builder. 

The fraudster claimed he previously worked for the Home Office, entered the medical sector in 2004 and kept up the act for over a decade. 

He saw off dozens of candidates to land the roles, including 117 rivals to become chairman of Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust and earned in excess of £1m in total. 

His lies were finally unravelled in 2016 when bosses finally interviewed him and discovered his impressive credentials were fabricated. 

Andrewes admitted two charges of dishonestly making a false representation in relation to gain as chairman of Torbay NHS Care Trust in 2007 and Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust in 2015. 

He also pleaded guilty to making a financial gain in relation to his role as chief executive of St Margaret's Hospice in Taunton, Somerset, in 2004. 

Andrewes of Totnes, Devon, was handed a two year sentence for each of the offences at Exeter Crown Court, to run concurrently. 

Sentencing him, Judge Geoffrey Mercer QC said: "For a period of two years your outwardly prestigious life was based upon a lie, and more accurately a series of staggering lies. 

"They were repeated lies about your education and employment background and your experience, lies by which you obtained responsible positions which you at least probably, if not certainly, would not have otherwise obtained; positions in which honesty and integrity were essential qualities. 

"Of course because of your fraud you received an income you should not have received. The total income was in excess of £1million." 

He added: "Above all, what you did means that you were performing responsible roles which you should not have been performing and inevitably that causes real damage to the public's confidence in the organisations which you deceived." 

Using an embellished CV, Andrewes landed a job at St Margaret's Hospice in 2004 before moving to Torbay NHS Care Trust in 2007 and the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust in 2015. 

He claimed he had a first-class undergraduate and masters degree at the University of Bristol and a masters in business administration at Edinburgh University, the court heard. 

He also said he studied for PhDs at Plymouth and Heriot-Watt universities, provided an employment history and said he was a partner at a technology firm. 

In addition, he lied about working for the Home Office and said he was employed as an executive officer at HMRC in 1969 - despite the fact he would have been just 16 at the time. 

Official records show he was employed as a social worker, probation officer and builder. 

NHS investigators finally probed into his past in April 2016 and days later he announced he was retiring early 'through ill health'. 

Prosecutor Cameron Brown, said: "He was able to obtain employment at St Margaret's Hospice and a number of senior NHS positions. 

"He earned significant renumeration in these roles, exceeding £1 million in a 10-year period." 

"He had numerous opportunities to come clean but failed to do so," he added. 

"This case has caused significant and understandable embarrassment to the NHS. His appointment was meant to inspire confidence but instead had the opposite impact." 

Andrewes' performance in the roles was a "mixed bag" and was sometimes "unsatisfactory" but he was not "actively doing damage", the court heard. 

A CQC report into St Margaret's while Andrewes was boss described it as a 'top quality hospice' and it was awarded the highest rating possible. 

But the prosecutor said his performance was irrelevant and the case centres around the fact he 'sustained the lies over very many years'. 

Defending, Rosaleen Collins said former colleagues provided 'glowing' references for her client, including that he was 'honest', 'dedicated', 'respected' and showed 'strong leadership'. 

She said: "Mr Andrewes has extreme regret and remorse for what he describes as 'sheer stupidity' in fabricating his education qualifications. 

"They were false without a shadow of a doubt." 

She added: "He has a respect for his former employers and he is very distressed that he has caused them any embarrassment. 

"He is somebody who has been loyal to the caring profession for many many years." 

He also admitted tinkering with his daughter's degree certificate from the University of London but denied using it for a fraud. Prosecutors decided to drop the charge. 

He has been ordered to surrender his passport and must leave the Devon area.