Anti-Crime

We believe that the most effective approach to tackle fraud and corruption is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. This is reflected in the proactive work undertaken at all of our clients by our Counter Fraud Team.

We ensure that proactive work is tailored to each client’s requirements, but common aims include:

• Ensuring that control and management weaknesses exploited by fraudsters are addressed and loopholes closed to future attempts.
• Supporting each organisation to embed a strong counter-fraud culture, by ensuring staff are aware of how to report suspicions of fraud and to provide them with a greater understanding of the fraud risks that exist in their organisation.
• Utilising a variety of communication outlets i.e. anti-crime newsletters, bespoke presentations, participation in the International Fraud Awareness Week to make staff aware of the potential consequences of defrauding the NHS.
• Introducing Counter Fraud Policies and Protocols and fraud-proofing relevant organisational policies.
• We continually adapt and develop innovative methods of promoting and informing staff at client organisations of the work carried out by our counter fraud team. The introduction of the Counter Fraud Masterclasses, which focus on specific fraud areas that are available for staff at all our clients has been a huge success.

As well as focusing on preventing fraud, we use data analysis software to undertake proactive fraud detection exercises. The software has assisted in identifying many instances where staff have submitted duplicate or overlapping claims for Trust and bank work. The software also identified over £200k of duplicate and erroneous invoice payments.

To ensure that fraud referrals and investigations are dealt with swiftly and effectively, we employ a number of accredited Local Counter Fraud Specialists and a Local Security Management Specialist. Professionally led investigations are conducted in accordance with the NHS Fraud and Corruption Manual in order to deliver best outcomes for our clients.

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) is an exercise that matches electronic data within and between public and private sector bodies to prevent and detect fraud. It is run every 2 years and co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office.

Data matching involves comparing sets of data held by one organisation against those at another organisation, to see how far they match. This data is usually personal information. The data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found, further investigation is necessary to establish whether this is due to an error, fraud or if there is another explanation.

All Trusts and ICBs are mandatory participants along with all Councils, Home Office, Police, Fire and Rescue Service and the NHS Pension Scheme, amongst others. Other employers can be voluntary participants and various Social Enterprises and Community Interest companies have chosen to be included.

The data downloads occur at the beginning of October, and these include NHS Payroll and Finance data. For further details please see information on your organisation’s intranet or website or the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative privacy notice

The legal basis for processing your personal data is that processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller.