Audit Commission
Working across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means they have a unique perspective and promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
Since 1996 the Audit Commission has run the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), an exercise that matches electronic data within and between audited bodies to prevent and detect fraud. This includes police authorities, local probation boards and fire and rescue authorities as well as local councils. To date, an estimated £450 million of fraud and overpayments have been identified from this work and the initiative has attracted international recognition. In 2006/07 this approach led to £140 million of fraud and overpayments being detected.
To review the quality of the financial systems within the healthcare sector, the Commission conducts audits on the National Health Service, NHS trusts as well as local health authorities.
Publications include independent reports highlighting risks and good practice to improve the quality of financial management in the healthcare sector and encourage continual improvement in public services including public health and health inequalities.
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Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland)
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General Medical Council
The General Medical Council is the independent regulator for doctors in the UK whose statutory purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.
The GMC do that by controlling entry to the medical register and setting the educational standards for medical schools. They also determine the principles and values that underpin good medical practice and take firm but fair action where those standards have not been met.
The GMC has strong and effective legal powers designed to maintain the standards the public have a right to expect of doctors.
Where any doctor fails to meet those standards, the GMC acts to protect patients from harm - if necessary, by removing the doctor from the register and removing their right to practise medicine.
Government of Scotland
The Government for Scotland is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport.
The current administration was formed after elections in May 2007 and is committed to sustaining and improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland - determined to combat NHS fraud wherever it arises and, in this way, ensure as far as possible that healthcare funding is used for legitimate patient care.
The Scottish Government and the anti fraud unit NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services work together to develop effective relationships with other organisations in order to deliver an overall strategy.
To achieve maximum impact, both the Government and Counter Fraud Services have identified partners who are key in this area. Framework agreements which focus primarily on the practicalities of joint working have been, or are being, developed with many of these.Further information
NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services
NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services (CFS) provides a full service to NHS Scotland (NHSS) through a centrally based, professionally qualified team of specialists dedicated only to counter fraud work.
NHS Scotland has an annual budget of £10 billion. Using a conservative estimate of 1% as a measure of the potential fraud perpetrated against NHS Scotland, this would equate to £100 million being lost annually from NHSS.
Working in partnership with other NHSS organisations, Counter Fraud Services have successfully delivered savings in the region of £20 million for the NHS in Scotland.
Two regional teams investigate all cases of fraud within NHS Scotland on behalf of the NHS Bodies that have referred the cases, preparing reports for the Procurator Fiscal Service and other regulatory authorities to allow the appropriate application of sanctions.
A minority of professionals have been identified as making claims for treatment and services in a manner which was in contravention of the spirit and the letter of the regulations governing their professional conduct as contractors within NHS Scotland.
Unfortunately patients also defraud the NHSS. £450 million is spent annually on patient exemption charges for various primary care services and by using legislation on Penalty Charge Regulations, CFS will take action against patients who falsely claim free treatment or services.
CFS is committed to reducing fraud and corruption in the NHSS to an absolute minimum, and to building and promoting a culture in which staff, patients, contractors and the wider public regard fraud against the NHSS as totally unacceptable.
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