A Nigerian student, Oluwabunmu Adeleiyi, has been jailed for defrauding the UK's National Health Service (NHS) by working as a healthcare support worker using a false identity. The court heard that Adeleiyi, living in Canton, Cardiff, worked at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and the Caswell Clinic in Bridgend while on a student visa. She and two accomplices billed the NHS around £16,000 a month through different employment agencies, using the same identification documents. Adeleiyi pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation and was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently and suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid 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 passport photograph on an ID card. Despite concerns about her behavior, including locking herself in a ward room and locking corridor doors, 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 learned that Adeleiyi used the ID of a registered healthcare support worker who had fled the UK to Nigeria. Judge Mark Powell stated that Adeleiyi's actions put both patients and staff at risk. Neil Jones, a lead counter-fraud specialist, emphasized that any fraud against the NHS, especially targeting vulnerable patients or staff, would be thoroughly investigated and dealt with by the judicial system. He added that Adeleiyi used fraudulent nursing agency identification supplied by an overseas organized crime group, but her minimal patient interaction ensured no harm was caused.
