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More than 700 frontline staff of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) are under investigation for their alleged involvement in an “industrial-scale” academic qualifications fraud.
The healthcare workers, mostly nurses, are suspected of using proxies to fraudulently pass tests in Nigeria, enabling them to work in the UK.
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The scam involves impersonation during a key test in Nigeria, which must be passed for the nurses to become registered and allowed to work in the UK.
The fraud may pose a risk to patients, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is taking action against those involved to protect the quality of care and patient safety.
The investigation follows a potential scandal where proxies impersonated nurses and took tests in Nigeria, which must be passed for the individuals to become registered and allowed to work in the UK.
The fraud is considered an “industrial-scale” issue, and the NMC is taking action against those involved to protect patient safety.
Among the nurses being investigated, 48 are already working in the NHS. The NMC is unable to rescind their admission to its register, but it has instructed them to retake the test to prove their skills meet its standards.
Another 669 healthcare staff are also being investigated for test results obtained through fraud, with most of them believed to be working as healthcare assistants in the NHS and care homes.
The NMC has banned almost all of the 669 applicants, as it has “serious concerns” about their honesty and trustworthiness.
The fraud at the Yunnik test center in Nigeria, where proxies posed as nurses, is considered the biggest-ever fraud the NMC has encountered.
The future of the 717 nurses remains unclear, and the GMB union is urging the NMC to let those with suspect test results retake the test in the UK.
The GMB fears that nurses refused entry to the NMC register may be sent back to Nigeria, and it argues that the UK’s health service needs their skills to address the nationwide shortage of nurses.
The NMC has stopped using 40 of the 800 test centers worldwide, including the Yunnik center, where the fraud occurred.
The Department of Health and Social Care in the UK is aware of the NMC’s fraud investigations and stated that necessary steps are being taken to ensure the integrity of the register and protect patient safety.
The investigation may impact the prospects of more nurses of Nigerian origin migrating to the UK for work.
In September 2023, it was reported that 48 Nigerian-trained nurses and midwives were under investigation for exam fraud, which allegedly took place at the Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria. The number of those under investigation has now increased to over 700.
Please note that all information is based on publicly available sources, and no specific details of individual cases are provided.
