Public Statement - Ms Titilayo Oyedele – Hospital Scientist – Permanent Prohibition Order

28 January 2021

The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (the Commission) investigated a complaint concerning Ms Titilayo Oyedele, unregistered health practitioner. Ms Oyedele arrived in Australia in November 2014 and since that time has held various positions as a Technical Officer and Hospital Scientist at NSW Health Pathology.

The complaint was from NSW Health Pathology and alleged that Ms Oyedele had been involved in two adverse patient incidents in 2018 and 2019. The complaint also reported that upon an internal review of these incidents, it was discovered that Ms Oyedele had been subject to disciplinary action for similar incidents in the United Kingdom in 2015 and Ms Oyedele had failed to disclose when seeking employment with NSW Health Pathology. 

The investigation found that that prior to her move to Australia, Ms Oyedele had been working in the United Kingdom (UK) as a Band 5 Biomedical Scientist and had been the subject of disciplinary proceedings by the UK’s Health and Professional Tribunal Service (the Tribunal ). Ms Oyedele had been found guilty by the Tribunal of professional misconduct and struck off the UK’s health register in 2015. This was on the basis of findings that she had breached the Health and Care Professions Council standards of proficiency for biomedical scientists by selecting and issuing incompatible blood for transfusion to Patient A and provided false information about her employment history experience in order to gain employment as a Band 5 Biomedical Scientist.

The investigations also found that Ms Oyedele continued to engage in misleading and deceptive conduct after moving to Australia in November 2014. She falsified her employment and residential history throughout both her visa application and skills assessment processes and later in seeking employment within the NSW Health sector.

Ms Oyedele falsified her employment history when applying to work at NSW Health Pathology by inaccurately reporting that she had held steady employment as a scientist in histology in Nigeria for 3 years when this was not the case. Ms Oyedele also went to great lengths to hide her conduct in the UK by consistently concealing her UK residential and employment history, and failing to disclose to any of her employers that she had been the subject of regulatory proceedings in the UK and that she also had a criminal history.

The Commission’s investigation also found that Ms Oyedele had departed from accepted standards of clinical care in that she did not not provide health services to Patient B in a safe and ethical manner in her role as Hospital Scientist at NSW Health Pathology. As with Ms Oyedele’s care and treatment of Patient A in the UK, Ms Oyedele similarly selected and issued incompatible blood to Patient B in October 2019. This resulted in Patient B experiencing a life-threatening blood transfusion reaction, including severe rigor, tachycardia and hypertension.

Ms Oyedele’s actions were found to have been a calculated and sustained effort to deceive and mislead NSW Health Pathology that she had the skills and experience to meet the requirements of the role.

The investigation found that Ms Oyedele breached the Code of Conduct for Unregistered Health Practitioners under Schedule 3 of the Public Health Regulation 2012 in the following respects:

• Failed to provide a health service in a safe and ethical manner;
• Failed to maintain the necessary competence in her field of practice;
• Provided a health service outside her experience and training;
• Provided a health service she is not qualified to provide;
• Engaged in misinformation and misrepresentation in relation to services she provided.

The Commission has determined that Ms Oyedele and poses a serious risk to the health or safety of members of the public.

The Commission therefore makes the following Prohibition Order:

Ms Titilayo Oyedele is permanently prohibited from providing any health services, as defined under section 4 of the Health Care Complaints Act 1993, whether on a paid or voluntary basis.

The Commission has also referred all information and documentation relating to this matter to the relevant Commonwealth authorities.

Further Information

Access to the Commission's media release here.

Access to the Commission's Statement of Decision here

For further information, contact the Executive Officer of the Health Care Complaints Commission, on 9219 7444 or send an email to media@hccc.nsw.gov.au.