A woman with no medical qualifications has been jailed after defrauding the NHS by working as a healthcare support worker using false identification, raising serious concerns about patient safety and security within hospital staffing systems.
Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, 30, a Nigerian national living in Canton, Cardiff, was employed at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend while holding no recognised clinical training or registration. Cardiff Crown Court heard she used a counterfeit healthcare support worker identity while in the UK on a student visa.
The court was told Adeleiyi and two accomplices submitted shifts through multiple employment agencies using the same stolen identity, generating fraudulent payments of around £16,000 a month from NHS services in south Wales.
How the Fraud Was Discovered
The deception was uncovered after a night shift at the Caswell Clinic, a medium-secure mental health unit. A receptionist noticed a passport photo had been crudely inserted into an ID badge kept inside a plastic wallet. When questioned, Adeleiyi refused to hand over shift paperwork, prompting managers to escalate the case as a critical incident.
An internal investigation by Swansea Bay University Health Board found unusual and potentially dangerous conduct, including locking herself inside ward rooms, securing fire doors and restricted corridors, and accessing confidential patient records without authorisation.
Serious Risks to Patients and Staff
Despite having no training in restraint or mental health care, Adeleiyi made entries in patient observation notes and had access to sensitive clinical information. Health officials told the court that her actions could have had “catastrophic” consequences, particularly in a secure unit managing high-risk patients.
Judge Recorder Mark Powell KC said she had “put patients and staff at risk” and described the operation as a serious breach of trust in NHS safeguarding systems.
Organised Crime Link
The false identification belonged to a registered healthcare worker who had fled the UK using a forged passport. The court heard the documents had been supplied by an organised overseas fraud network targeting NHS agency recruitment systems.
Neil Jones, lead counter-fraud specialist at Swansea Bay University Health Board, said the case highlighted the growing threat of organised crime groups exploiting workforce shortages and reliance on temporary agency staff.
Sentence and Wider Context
Adeleiyi admitted four counts of fraud by false representation and received four concurrent 10-month prison sentences, suspended for two years, along with 100 hours of unpaid community work.
The case comes amid wider NHS concerns over staff shortages, agency dependence and rising fraud. Health authorities across the UK have stepped up ID verification and background checks following several recent incidents involving falsified qualifications and overseas recruitment scams.