FRAUD COSTS THE NHS £3.2M A DAY
GPs on fiddle and cons by contractors
CROOKS fleece the NHS out of £1.14billion a year – with £300m lost on dodgy contracts alone.
Scams including phoney prescriptions and GPs claiming for dead patients and non-existent services cost £3.2m a day, according to estimates from the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.
That could pay for 45,600 junior doctors, 45,770 nurses or 118,000 hip replacements. Now the watchdog has warned fraudsters were looking to cash in on the £6.6bn emergency Covid-19 fund. The CFA’s Strategic Intelligence Assessment states: “With additional funding, new fraud threats and vulnerabilities emerged.”
Figures seen by the Sunday Mirror show nearly 5,000 allegations of fraud were made in just 12 months.
Sue Frith, outgoing chief executive of the CFA, stressed NHS staff taking advantage of the service were a minority.
But she blasted: “NHS fraud affects all of us. It is a selfish and shocking act that criminals steal resources from our NHS.”
The Strategic Intelligence Assessment gauges exposure to fraud in key areas of the NHS. Estimates claim dental scams cost £61.3m each year, while GP surgery cons run up a £93.8m bill.
Pharmacies are said to be vulnerable to £117m of fraud, while payroll cons by staff amount to £26.07m.
Procurement fraud – contract fiddles by suppliers and NHS staff – cost £244m a year while £56.4m is down to cheating agency workers.
Watchdogs say patients claiming for medicines, optical vouchers and dental treatment they haven’t had costs the NHS £267.7m.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “People will be appalled at how much has been wasted.”
But some have criticised flawed accounting systems and the fact the figures are based on projected losses.
Shawn Charlwood, of the British Dental Association, said many practitioners were falling foul of “chaotic” rules around claiming back-payments.
He said: “Our broken NHS contract has left numerous grey areas, so no two dentists are likely to give you the same answer on how to claim.”
And the BMA’s Dr Richard Vautrey said: “It’s concerning the figures are a forecast of risk, rather than a firm indication of money lost to fraud.
“However, that doesn’t detract from the fact we do not condone actions which deliberately defraud the NHS.
“But extrapolating conclusions in the way this report has done risks unfairly demonising the vast majority of hardworking GPs and staff who do an honest job caring for patients – as we have seen so clearly through their immense efforts during the pandemic.”
NHS fraud affects us all. Stealing rescources is shocking and selfish SUE FRITH NHS FRAUD GROUP’S OUTGOING CHIEF