Bogus healthcare worker used fake ID to scam NHS

A woman with no formal medical qualifications defrauded the NHS by working as a health care support worker using a false ID, a court has heard.

Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, 30, a Nigerian national living in Canton, Cardiff, on a student visa, worked at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and at the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend.

Cardiff Crown Court heard she and two accomplices used the same IDs to bill the NHS about £16,000 a month through different employment agencies.

Adeleiyi admitted four counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently and to be suspended for two years.

Two of the counts of fraud by false representation related to the hospital in Port Talbot and two to the medium secure mental health unit in Bridgend.

The court heard the fraud came to light when Adeleiyi checked out at the end of a night shift at the Caswell Clinic.

A receptionist noticed that a passport photo had been placed on the ID card, which was kept in a plastic wallet.

When challenged, Adeleiyi refused to hand over shift documentation.

The issue was escalated to senior management at the Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB) who declared a critical incident.

The health board's investigation found staff had noticed "bizarre" behaviour during her shifts, including locking herself in a room on a ward.

She also locked doors in corridors that were not allowed to be locked in case of fire or if staff were needed to help deal with violent patients.

Adeleiyi, who had no training in restraint techniques, had access to confidential patient notes and made additions to observation notes herself.

The court heard health bosses said the potential risks "could have been catastrophic".

Adeleiyi used the ID of a registered healthcare support worker who fled from the UK to Nigeria using a false passport.

Judge Recorder Mark Powell KC told Adeleiyi: "You put the patients at risk... you put staff at risk."

Adeleiyi was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community service.

Speaking after the hearing, Neil Jones, lead counter fraud specialist for SBUHB, said: "Today's sentence serves to illustrate that any fraud perpetrated against the NHS, especially where individuals target vulnerable patients or staff will be investigated fully and dealt with through the judicial system."

He said Adeleiyi had used fraudulent nursing agency identification supplied by an overseas organised crime group.

"Thankfully, she had minimal interaction with patients and a review carried out by the health board determined that no harm was caused to any patients," he said.