NHS imposter visits patients at home in Saltash
Port View Surgery in Saltash has warned patients about a man posing as a health worker to visit people's homes
- Published
Police have issued a warning about a man who has posed as a healthcare worker and visited two homes in Saltash.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the man, who called himself Gerry, phoned two residents, said he was from the NHS and arranged visits to their homes.
Staff at Port View Surgery said one of the patients had been visited by the imposter after he had called to "enquire about their condition".
Although the man claimed the patients' surgeries were aware of the planned visit, police said this was not the case and urged people to double check the identity of anyone visiting.
'An imposter'
They described the man as white, around 5ft 8in (1.7m) tall and of medium build with very short receding grey hair and a grey goatee-style beard.
He is believed to have been driving a blue BMW car, they added.
A spokesperson for Port View Surgery said: "We have been informed by one of our patients that they had a telephone call and subsequent visit to their home by someone claiming to be a healthcare professional from the surgery who wanted to check how they were managing with their condition.
"This was in fact an imposter and not anyone attached to the surgery or the wider community healthcare team."
They asked patients to "be vigilant" and to ask for ID from anyone visiting their home - and if they felt something was unusual, to contact them.
'Always ask for ID'
Police have asked anyone with information about the man to share it with them.
They have also advised people who received a call that was not directly from their GP surgery offering a home visit to take the callers details and check them with the GP.
They said people who receive home visits should always ask for ID and check which organisation they are from, even if the visit has been pre-arranged.
"Do not just ring a number from an ID card and if you have any doubts about their identity, do not let them in," they added.
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