Hospital carer used fake name to get job

BOSSES at Macclesfield Hospital have launched an investigation after a man admitted working there under a fake name.

Joshua Olajide Jideolaleye, 40, lied about his identity to get a job as an agency worker and worked as a care assistant at the hospital for five weeks before he was discovered.

Jideolaleye, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Crewe Magistrates Court on Friday, June 5.

An East Cheshire NHS Trust spokesman said the matter was reported to the police as soon as it was discovered and there is no suggestion any patients were harmed.

He said: “The trust recognises the seriousness of this issue and when it was identified, immediate action was taken. The correct policies were followed and the police were notified.

“We can reassure patients that a thorough internal investigation is underway and there is no suggestion that any patients were harmed.

“We are continuing to use the recruitment agency involved, along with other recruitment agencies, on the basis that this individual has pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and this should not prevent other agency staff from providing important services to our patients.

“The person concerned was available to East Cheshire NHS Trust for a period of five weeks as a temporary worker.”

But Coun Janet Jackson, who represents Macclesfield Central Ward, said the news will affect patients’ trust in staff at the hospital and raise con- cerns over the increased use of agency workers.

She said: “It’s shocking and it isn’t acceptable.

“This, in my view, brings into question the trust that people have in the health service and the professionals that work in the hospital.

“I would question the agency and its system of checking identification.

“Any role at the hospital demands a certain integrity and patients have to feel trust in the staff that are looking after them.

“I understand the hospital must use agency staff occasionally but I don’t think they should rely on it as more permanent staff at the hospital.”

Jideolaleye will be sentenced at Chester Crown Court on a date yet to be confirmed. A police spokesman said: “He was working in a support role as a care assistant, and swift action was taken as soon as the matter came to light.”