Exorcise to find ghost patient levels

GP surgeries in west Kent could be receiving payments for more than 10,000 patients who may not exist, analysis of NHS figures reveals.

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority recently launched a national probe into so-called ghost patients, for which practices still get funding even though they may have left the area or died.

The latest Office for National Statistics data shows an estimated 485,800 people live in the NHS West Kent CCG area, but around 499,800 were registered with GP surgeries at the start of June.

This means around 14,000 ( 3%) could be ghost patients.

The ONS estimate was published in 2017, so some of the disparity could be down to changes in the local population.

But it is unlikely that this accounts for all the excess numbers, as the average yearly population growth for the area was just 0.9% between 2012 and 2017. The NHS paid an average of £155.76 per registered patient in the 2017-18 financial year.

Based on this figure, practices in west Kent could currently be receiving around £2.2 million for ghost patients each year.

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority estimates that up to £88 million was incorrectly claimed by GPs across England in the 2017-18 financial year. A spokesperson for the organisation said previous analysis had identified a discrepancy between the number of people registered at GP surgeries and the population. They added: “Our priority will be to assess whether these discrepancies remain, and if they do, conduct further analysis to establish their nature and whether part of this is due to fraudulent activity or not.”