Meeting date: 31 July 2019
Meeting Venue: Meeting room 2, Skipton House, London
Meeting title: NHSCFA Board meeting
Board members in attendance
- (TT) Tom Taylor (Chair of the NHSCFA Board)
- (CS) Professor Carl Stychin (Non Executive Director, NHSCFA)
- (MS) Martin Spencer (Non Executive Director, NHSCFA)
- (SF) Susan Frith (Chief Executive, NHSCFA)
- (MJB) Matthew Jordan Boyd (Director of Finance & Corporate Governance)
- (RM) Rachel Monaghan (Director of Performance & Improvement NHSCFA)
Other attendees:
- (PG) Paul Golightly (Director, Department of Health and Social Care Anti Fraud Unit )
- (RR) Richard Rippin (Head of Operations-part meeting only)
- (AS) Ann Sturgess (Corporate Governance Manager and Board Secretary, NHSCFA)
- (DT) Davina Teeluck (Staff Engagement Group - Observer)
- (FM) Freedom Mackay (Organisational Development Assistant NHSCFA) - minute taker
Apologies:
1. Welcome
- 1.1 TT welcomed all to the NHSCFA Board meeting and outlined key changes in the Cabinet following the election on the new Prime Minister.
2. Apologies
- 2.1 (JS) Jayne Scott (Non Executive Director, NHSCFA)
3. Declarations of interest
- 3.1 MS confirmed that he had recently taken on a Non-Executive Director role at Companies House.
4. Minutes for approval
- 4.1 The Board accepted the minutes of 14 June 2019 as a true record.
5. Action log
- 5.1 The Board reviewed the action log and updated accordingly.
6. Updates:
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6.1 General update from the Chair
- 6.1.1 TT confirmed that the Coventry staff move to Earlsdon Park had concluded and staff were now settled in the new office.
- 6.1.2 TT confirmed that advice has been provided to the Government Legal Department on money laundering issues as part of the reciprocal process of them helping the NHSCFA on people survey issues. TT advised that there may also be potential opportunities to build the relationship between the NHSCFA and HMRC Internal Audit Team on the same issue, which would provide access to their counter fraud expertise.
- 6.1.3 TT advised that the NAO audit of accounts had not been completed. As a result NHSCFA Annual Report & Accounts (ARA) had not been laid prior to the Government summer recess. TT confirmed it was likely to be mid-October before Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) are laid. TT reminded those present it had previously been agreed that if NHSCFA were unable to lay the ARA accounts before the summer recess DHSC would accept the provisional numbers.
7 NED updates
- 7.1 CS advised that he was following up an opportunity to network on economic crime and would be set up a meeting to knowledge share. CS noted that he would also use his attendance at the upcoming Cambridge Economic Crime Conference as an opportunity to network on behalf of the NHSCFA.
- 7.2 MS advised that he would be attending a Counter Fraud Profession meeting. MS confirmed that the management response to the staff survey was making good progress and would include several initiatives including wellbeing commitments.
8. Finance report
- 8.1 MJB advised that the current position is £2.783m with an underspend of £128k. (correcting the figure quoted in the Finance Report highlights). MJB added that the underspend had resulted mainly from planned delays in recruitment in order to achieve the vacancy factor contained within the budget. MJB noted that the total pay related underspend is offset by the vacancy factor for the first 3 months. MJB advised that the current annual forecast is breakeven at this early stage of the year.
- 8.2 MJB also confirmed that the Capital Funding allocation had been confirmed and proved a breakdown of the proposed capital plan.
9. Performance Report – Q1
- 9.1 RM provided an overview of performance against objectives set out in the published Business Plan.
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9.2 Discussion was held over the level of detail and new format of the report. It was
agreed that the format should remain whilst the new reporting process embedded.
TT requested a brief executive narrative overview was included as the front page of
subsequent reports.
Action Point 51: RM to include an executive overview as the front page of future Performance reports
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9.2 TT requested the Executive Team consider any emerging risks of delivery, taking
into account the trajectories included in the report.
Action Point 52: Executive Team to review any risks emerging for the Q1 Operations report and add to the risk/issues register as appropriate.
10. Operational (investigations) Report noted
- 10.1 RR reported on a recent case of operational interest and noted that following a five day trial the subject was found ‘not guilty’ in respect of the specific fraud offences. RR advised that the matter would now be passed to the General Dental Council for their investigation. RR also highlighted that following admissions made during the trial NHSCFA and NHS England were working together to facilitate the recovery of an overpayment of £145k.
- 10.2 The Board agreed that going forward it would be useful for activities to be measured against previous year’s results in future operational reports.
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10.3 PG requested, and the Board supported, the inclusion of positive charging decisions
in future reports. Data to be split between NHSCFA cases and local Health Body
cases and include in year comparisons.
Action point 53: RR to include in year comparison data and positive charging data on NHSCFA & Local Health Body cases the next Operations report.
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10.4 RR informed the Board a report outlining information and data on Counter Fraud
work delivered at a local level by Local Counter Fraud Specialists would shortly be
available for circulation and comment.
Action point 54: RR to send the final Landscape Report on Counter Fraud Provision to AS for circulation to the Board.
- 10.5 RR reported that he would update at the next Board meeting on a case of interest, recently received, which will be considered at the next Strategic Tasking meeting. TT highlighted if there were any reputational risks to NHSCFA as a result of this case consideration should be given to including these on the risk/issues register.
11 Risk and Issues Register overview
- 11.1 MJB provided an update on the Risk Register. TT queried the green rating for the Financial Control General Ledger risk. MJB advised that he would discuss further with the NHSBSA and revisit if necessary after the next scheduled meeting.
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11.2 MS recommended that arrows indicating whether risks the risk scores had
improved/declined/remained static are included in the Risk and Issues report.
Action point 55: AS to include arrows indicating whether risks the risk scores had improved/declined/remained static in future risk and issues report.
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11.3 TT recommended that brief explanations be provided where there are revisions to
the Risk and Issues score to provide the rationale.
Action point 56: AS to include brief rationale behind any revisions to risk scores future Risks & Issues report.
- 11.3 SF provided an update on access to communications data and noted that work is ongoing.
12. ARC minutes
- 12.1 MJB gave a summary of the last ARC minutes. MJB explained issues around the failure to lay the ARA before September 2019. He noted that following the NAO initial audit work, further assurances around VAT and Fixed Assets were required. A full analysis has now been provided and the NAO will undertake testing. MJB will keep the Board updated.
Matters arising
13. Locally Embedded Team Proposal presentation
- 13.1 David Dixon and Mark Gellard gave a presentation on the concept of introducing locally embedded teams and the potential results this could deliver.
- 13.2 The Board supported this concept and recommended work to develop this is continued.
Decision: Further develop the concept of Locally Embedded teams
14 Matters arising
- 14.1 It was agreed that TT and SF would discuss the agenda for the Board Strategy Day outside the meeting.
15 Matters to note
- 15.1 Government Functional Standard Gov013 – paper noted
- 15.2 Content of the meeting was reviewed. Members agreed the agenda had been met.
- 15.3 AS reminded all that the next Board would most likely be held in and given time constraints suggested an informal drop in surgery rather than the usual formal Q&A with all staff.
16 Date of next meeting
18.9.19 Skipton House