A Nigerian student, Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, has been sentenced to a 10-month prison term for defrauding the UK's National Health Service (NHS) by working as a healthcare support worker under a false identity. The court heard that Adeleiyi, residing in Canton, Cardiff, was on a student visa when she worked at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend. The fraud involved Adeleiyi and two accomplices using the same identification documents to bill the NHS approximately £16,000 monthly through different employment agencies. Adeleiyi pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation and was given concurrent sentences of 10 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. She was also mandated to complete 100 hours of community service. The fraud was uncovered when Adeleiyi signed out at the end of a night shift at the Caswell Clinic, where a receptionist noticed a discrepancy between a passport photograph and an ID card. Adeleiyi refused to provide shift documentation upon being challenged, prompting an escalation to senior management at Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB), who declared a critical incident. An internal investigation revealed that staff had previously raised concerns about Adeleiyi's unusual behavior during shifts, including locking herself in a ward room. Additionally, she was found to have locked corridor doors that were not permitted to be locked, posing potential risks during emergencies or incidents involving violent patients. Despite lacking training in restraint techniques, Adeleiyi had access to confidential patient records and made entries in observation notes. Health officials warned that the risks involved could have been catastrophic. The court also learned that Adeleiyi had used the identity of a registered healthcare support worker who had fled the UK to Nigeria using a false passport. Judge Recorder Mark Powell KC emphasized the danger to patients and staff, stating, 'You put the patients at risk... you put staff at risk.' Neil Jones, the lead counter-fraud specialist for SBUHB, commented on the sentence, stating that any fraud against the NHS, especially targeting vulnerable patients or staff, would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with through the judicial system. He added that Adeleiyi had used fraudulent nursing agency identification supplied by an overseas organized crime group, but thankfully, her interactions with patients were minimal, and a review determined no harm was caused.
