BBC News | HEALTH | Police boost for NHS fraud squad

A partnership has been formed to tackle fraud in the NHS which costs millions of pounds in lost revenue every year.

The NHS Counter Fraud Service (CFS) has teamed up with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to strengthen its powers to clear up crime.

The Memorandum of Understanding will consolidate the existing relationship between the police and the NHS CFS and clearly define how they work together.

We want fraudsters to see their actions will not be tolerated and that potential fraudsters are successfully deterred

Lord Hunt, Health Minister
This will include details of where police powers are needed for search, arrests and financial investigations in connection with criminal activity in the NHS.

Health Minister Lord Hunt said: "Much work has been done to publicise the problem of fraud.

"We want fraudsters to see their actions will not be tolerated and that potential fraudsters are successfully deterred.

"Patients deserve the best protection from the minority which seeks to defraud and weaken the health service.

"This is a major step in the battle against fraud and our progress in freeing up resources for better patient care."

Commissioner of Police for the City of London Perry Nove QPM welcomed the initiative.

�2bn fraud bill

He said: "The Memorandum of Understanding establishes clear lines for effective communication between the CFS and the 43 police forces of England and Wales.

"The ultimate benefits that will accrue from improved CFS /police efficiency in conducting joint investigations, will be speedier and more certain prosecutions against those who steal public funds through fraud against the NHS."

Estimates suggest fraud costs the NHS �2bn a year.

Announcing the partnership, Lord Hunt, also unveiled the first ever NHS CFS performance statistics, since it became operational in January 1999.

These include:

losses in the area of patient prescription fraud have been cut by 41% and in some areas, fraud by NHS professionals by 18-30%

nearly �14m has been identified and stopped, with a projected figure of nearly �12m recovered by the end of the financial year

91 successful prosecutions and 143 successful civil legal and disciplinary cases

a 99% successful prosecution rate, having only lost one case

nearly 400 professionally trained and accredited counter fraud specialists have been put in place across the NHS

Since the creation of the NHS CFS, more cases of fraud are being investigated than ever before.

Director of the NHS CFS Jim Gee said of the partnership: "The financial demands on the NHS mean there can be no let up in protecting its resources.

"The health service was founded on a principle of trust and we will not allow it to be undermined by the exploitation of those values.

"We are seeking to protect public funds and defend the NHS against those who try to challenge it."

Cases of fraud investigated by the CFS include prescription claims for non-existent patients and glasses for dead customers.


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