Nigerian student jailed for using false identity to work in UK hospitals

A Nigerian student, Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, has been sentenced after fraudulently working in two UK health facilities using false identification documents.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Adeleiyi, who lived in Canton, Cardiff, was in the United Kingdom on a student visa when she secured work as a healthcare support worker at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend.

Prosecutors said Adeleiyi and two accomplices used the same set of identification documents to obtain shifts through different employment agencies, billing the National Health Service (NHS) up to £16,000 monthly.

She pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation. The court handed her a 10-month prison sentence on each count, to run concurrently, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service.

Two of the offences were linked to work carried out at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, while the remaining two related to shifts at the Caswell Clinic, a medium secure mental health unit.

The fraud came to light after Adeleiyi completed a night shift at the Caswell Clinic. A receptionist noticed a passport photograph attached to an identification card kept in a plastic wallet. When questioned, Adeleiyi declined to surrender her shift documents.

The incident was reported to senior officials at Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB), which declared a critical incident and launched an internal investigation.

Staff had previously raised concerns about her conduct, describing it as unusual. The court heard that she had locked herself alone in a ward room and secured corridor doors that were not permitted to be locked, actions that could have posed risks during emergencies.

Despite having no training in patient restraint procedures, Adeleiyi had access to confidential patient information and made entries in patient observation notes.

Health officials told the court that the potential consequences of the situation were serious.

In his remarks, Judge Recorder Mark Powell KC said Adeleiyi had put both patients and staff at risk.

Following the hearing, Neil Jones, lead counter fraud specialist at SBUHB, said the case showed that fraud against the NHS, particularly where vulnerable patients and staff are involved, would be fully investigated and prosecuted.

Jones also stated that the fraudulent identification used by Adeleiyi had been supplied through an overseas organised crime network. A subsequent review by the health board found that she had minimal contact with patients and that no harm was caused.