An individual working for the NHS was caught stealing approximately £300,000 worth of medical equipment from the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust in Kidderminster. The culprit, Emmanuel Nbanga, along with his wife Remilekun Olusesi and friend Solomon Adeymi, engaged in a scheme where they took supplies from operating theatre stock rooms and resold them to the hospital’s trust through a company called Ultimate Medical, owned by Adeymi. This resulted in the NHS unknowingly repurchasing its own stolen stock multiple times.
The fraudulent activities took place between October 2017 and September 2019, causing a significant financial loss to the National Health Service. Nbanga, aged 46, was convicted of fraud and fraudulent trading, while his wife and friend were found guilty of related offenses. Additionally, Nbanga admitted to possessing false identity documents.
Dave Horsley from the NHS Counter Fraud Authority mentioned that patients were affected by the stolen supplies, crucial for medical procedures. Suspicion arose during a tendering process for medical supplies when it was discovered that the company selling to the NHS, UML, was offering unusually low prices. Further investigation revealed that the identification numbers on the delivered items matched those of previously purchased items.
Stephen Collman, the managing director of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, condemned the fraud, emphasizing that it was orchestrated by trusted NHS employees. Gayle Ramsay, a Specialist Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, highlighted Nbanga’s abuse of trust and misuse of taxpayer money for personal gain, with support from Adeyemi and Olusesi.
The CPS remains dedicated to collaborating with law enforcement to combat public sector fraud effectively.