- Lee Woods, 28, will go on trial next year for impersonating an NHS staff member
A man has been accused of dressing up as a nurse so he could access wards in Scotland’s biggest hospital.
Lee Woods, 28, will go on trial next year after being charged in connection with impersonating a member of staff at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
It is alleged that he got into the super-hospital by wearing a nurse’s uniform and carrying fake ID to access parts of the facility over several months.
The flagship £575million complex he is accused of accessing includes the Royal Hospital for Children, the Queen Elizabeth Maternity Unit and two Accident and Emergency units.
Woods, of Greenock, is said to have claimed he was a charge nurse, repeatedly gaining access to the resuscitation and children’s areas of the hospital, and behaving in a disorderly manner.
Following his arrest in July, an alert from the NHS anti-fraud team was sent to security chiefs across Scotland’s 14 health boards, informing them of an incident at the sprawling hospital.
NHS Lanarkshire, which neighbours the Glasgow health board, urged its staff to remain vigilant.
Workers were told that a man had been ‘apprehended allegedly impersonating a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’.
The staff memo added: ‘This person had allegedly accessed the hospital in this way on a number of occasions between March and the date of his arrest.
‘The male was allegedly wearing an NHS uniform with a lanyard and a falsified identification badge detailing his position as a charge nurse.’
Gordon Young, head of counter-fraud at NHS National Services Scotland, said an internal alert was issued to health boards regarding ‘a security breach at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’.
Police Scotland confirmed yesterday: ‘A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with impersonating a member of nursing staff at a hospital in Glasgow on Tuesday, 18 July.’
Despite happening four months ago, the incident came to light only after staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were told of it late last week.
A spokesman for the health board said: ‘We can confirm that an individual was arrested at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in July 2023.
‘We would like to reassure members of the public that our security teams work very hard to ensure the safety and security of our facilities.’
Woods, who appeared before a sheriff the day after his arrest, has been charged with a breach of the peace.
He is set to stand trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court on January 31.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
