Phoebe Pacheco allegedly worked without a medical registration at Werribee Cosmetic Clinic from at least January 2013 until October last year. The clinic specialises in laser treatments, including "skin rejuvenation" and hair, acne scar and tattoo removal. Its website says it also treats "excessive" sweating and provides lip and facial fillers and anti-wrinkle injections. "Our Cosmetic Doctors and Cosmetic Nurses are highly trained," the website says.

The medical procedures performed by Ms Pacheco have not been released nor is it known if she provided prescriptions. Documents of 145 of Phoebe Pacheco's patients were handed to the Health Department in February. The procedures were "minor", and there was no evidence of harm to patients, said the Health Department's acting chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton. "We know that this will be a cause of anxiety for a number of people," he said. Werribee Cosmetic Clinic. Credit:Facebook

"The worst-case scenario is that someone has had a misdiagnosis or inappropriate management advice." The clinic and Ms Pacheco came to AHPRA's attention in September last year before a warrant was executed and documents seized in October. An advertisement for dermal fillers on the clinic's Facebook page. Credit:Facebook Documents of 145 of her patients were handed to the Health Department in February. Letters have been sent to the patients, who have been urged to contact AHPRA or the department with any concerns and to consult with a registered medical practitioner.

Phoebe Pacheco AHPRA executive director of strategy and policy Chris Robertson did not reveal how the clinic came to the agency's attention, only that a patient did not report it. "We do need to advise the public that there may be a risk," he said. Phoebe Pacheco Credit:LinkedIn Mr Robertson said Ms Pacheco could have seen more patients, but their contact details were unknown.

"We currently have a significant number of documents to continue reviewing," he said. Mr Robertson said he was unable to provide details on Ms Pacheco's background, including whether she was an Australian citizen, or her work history. He said he did not know whether she was in the country, but that the agency had recently been in contact with her. A LinkedIn account for a woman named Phoebe Marie Rojales Pacheco states she was certified as a registered nurse by the "Board of Nursing State of Vermont," and qualified as a doctor of medicine in 1996 at the University of Santo Tomas, which is in the Philippines. She has been working as a "physician assistant" and medical laser specialist at the Werribee Cosmetic Medicine since January 2013, the profile states.

She also worked as as administration assistant at a general practice clinic in Werribee. Patients who suffer injury at the hands of a fake doctor may be able to pursue legal action against the clinic, said Kathryn Booth, the head of medical negligence at Maurice Blackburn. "If you have suffered injury from the services of a fake doctor you may be able to make a legal claim. However, if the fake doctor is not insured, it may be difficult to pursue this claim and recover compensation," she said. "In an instance like this, there may be a claim against the clinic where the fake doctor was operating, if it is insured and if it did not apply due diligence and take reasonable care to ensuring its employees' qualifications to practise medicine were in order." Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the state government was leading an overhaul of the national health workforce regulator to make sure patients were protected against dodgy operators.