Highlights
- Sriperambuduru claimed English was her first language on her NHS application form.
- Colleagues flagged communication problems within two weeks of her starting the role.
- The tribunal found she intended to deceive the Trust to gain employment.
What the panel found
Her line manager told the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service hearing that during the interview process, Sriperambuduru had requested to use a chat-box facility so interviewers could type questions to her rather than ask them face to face.
The manager described this as "very unusual" given that Sriperambuduru was living in the UK at the time.
The panel said this showed an attempt to conceal her difficulties. At a review meeting in November 2023, she admitted Telugu was her actual first language.
By December she said she was taking English lessons outside work but told her manager she struggled to transcribe sessions because children and parents were speaking too quickly.
Transcription is a core part of the role, used to record a patient's speech sounds and identify where difficulties arise. She was dismissed in June 2024, eight months after being hired.
The Trust referred the matter to the Health and Care Professions Council and confirmed she had not worked there since 2024.
Sriperambuduru argued to the panel that because her education was conducted in English, it could reasonably be considered her first language.
The panel rejected this, noting the application form explicitly states that studying in English does not qualify as having English as a first language.
The panel concluded she intended to deceive the Trust and removed her from the register.
