Mothers warned to be on alert for bogus nurse

THE Mid-Western Health Board yesterday warned young mothers to be on the alert for a bogus nurse claiming to be a member of the board’s staff.

This follows a reported incident in Askeaton, Co Limerick, on Tuesday in which a woman claiming to be a district nurse called to a home and asked to see an infant.

The mother later became suspicious and contacted the health board. The board’s general manager for Limerick city and county, Bernard Gloster, pointed out that staff provide a wide range of services to the public which require access to people’s homes.

“In the interests of security, staff carry full identity cards, and people should phone the health board to confirm the validity of the caller,” he said. He said the incident was a timely reminder to exercise vigilance.

Gardaí are investigating the incident. According to gardaí, the woman arrived at a house in west Limerick in a dark-coloured Dublin-registered Toyota Avensis car.

She asked to examine an infant at the house after telling the child’s mother that she was a district nurse with the health board. After informing the woman that there could be a problem with the child’s health, she said she would return to carry out further checks on the baby.

The worried mother later rang the health board to get more information on her child’s health. However, staff at the MWHB confirmed that none of their members were registered as being in the area at the time. The child was later examined and it was confirmed that she was is full health.

The bogus nurse, who was last seen wearing a dark trench coat, is described as being in her mid-40s, of strong build and with short brown curly hair.

Gardaí warn parents to check for identification if anyone calls claiming to be from the health board. A spokesman for Askeaton Garda Station said: “so far only one incident has been reported. We are currently conducting an active line of inquiry.”