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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work the NHS counter-fraud unit is undertaking on the use of agency staff in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [144595] Mr. Hutton: The National Health Service Counter Fraud Service, now Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS), was created in 1998 with a remit to tackle fraud and corruption within the NHS. So far, it has produced a financial benefit to the NHS of more than £295 million. It works with more than 400 professionally trained and accredited local counter fraud specialists covering every health body in England and Wales. NHS bank and agency staff are an integral part of the NHS work force, but there is, unfortunately, a small minority of these staff who take advantage of the NHS and its resources. CFSMS have identified bank and agency timesheet fraud as a significant area of fraud and investigations, to date, have resulted in 33 criminal prosecutions. Some of the individuals involved have received terms of imprisonment ranging from nine to 21 months. Criminal prosecution is not the only action taken and CFSMS pursues a parallel sanctions policy, seeking to combine appropriate disciplinary procedures with civil action to freeze and recover assets. The CFMS is engaged in a national proactive exercise aimed at highlighting system and policy weaknesses in the NHS. As a result, information will be sent to the whole of the NHS in England and Wales on how to improve systems, stop the fraudulent practices that put resources at risk and prevent bank and agency staff fraud in the future. Local counter fraud specialists in NHS organisations that use bank and agency staff have been required to check agency staff records, including timesheets, uncover incidents of fraud, assess systems used to monitor agency staff and deliver fraud awareness presentations to agency staff. This is the first of several exercises to be developed by CFSMS that will see NHS counter fraud specialists proactively detect and investigate fraud and where necessary apply tough sanctions.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

144595; 415 c1122-3W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Crime prevention Fraud Employment agencies NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk