A Nigerian dietitian has been removed from the United Kingdom’s health professionals register after a tribunal found that she falsely claimed expertise in multiple medical specialties to besecure a hospital role she was unqualified for.
Ifeyinwa Chizube Ndulue-Nonso, a registered dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), was struck off following a final hearing by the HCPC’s Conduct and Competence Committee held from March 2 to 10, 2026.
According to findings obtained from the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service website, Ndulue-Nonso submitted false information in August and September 2023 while applying for a Band 6 rotational dietitian position at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. She reportedly claimed proficiency in areas including cancer care, neurology, gastroenterology, respiratory medicine, artificial feeding, parenteral nutrition, dysphagia, and several other specialties.
The dietitian began work at the trust on February 19, 2024, after relocating from Nigeria. But within days, supervisors raised serious concerns. Her line manager, Curtis Roberts, noted in a February 28 supervision log that Ndulue-Nonso could not explain common conditions such as coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and eating disorders, despite claiming experience. He also recorded that she had never worked in critical care and lacked knowledge of parenteral nutrition.
Her clinical supervisor, Lorna Haywood, reported further deficiencies.
She said Ndulue-Nonso could not correctly identify parts of the intestine, calculate body mass index (BMI), recognise dysphagia symptoms, manage refeeding syndrome, or interpret biochemistry results. In one incident, Ndulue-Nonso misidentified a feeding tube as a breathing tube, despite previously claiming extensive experience.
Roberts also noted that she had to Google “cerebrovascular accident” before claiming familiarity, later admitting she had misrepresented her knowledge in her application.
During cross-examination, she incorrectly stated the gallbladder was part of the kidney where urine is stored.
The tribunal ruled that her misconduct was deliberate and persistent, concluding that she had intentionally misled the employer to secure a role requiring high-level expertise.
It rejected her claim that she had only slightly overstated her experience, noting the extensive gaps in her knowledge and the premeditated nature of her dishonesty.
While no patients were harmed—thanks to supervisors preventing her from patient-facing duties—the panel highlighted the potential risks of her incompetence, including life-threatening aspiration pneumonia.
Given the seriousness of her misconduct, the tribunal deemed lesser sanctions inappropriate. It ruled that conditions of practice or suspension would not protect public interest or uphold professional standards. Ndulue-Nonso was formally struck off, with an interim suspension order of 18 months covering the 28-day appeal period or until any appeal is resolved.
“The Registrant’s deliberate and persistent dishonesty constitutes a serious breach of professional standards and fundamentally undermines public trust in the profession,” the panel stated.
