| Present | |
|---|---|
| Gaon Hart (GH) | Chair, Non-Executive Director, NHSCFA |
| Alex Rothwell (AR) | Chief Executive Officer, NHSCFA |
| Alyson Coates (AC) | Non-Executive Director, NHSCFA |
| Andrew Flanagan (AF) | Non-Executive Director, NHSCFA |
| Angela Dragone (AD) | Non-Executive Director, NHSCFA |
| Jon Hayes (JH) | Non-Executive Director, NHSCFA |
| Matthew Jordan-Boyd (MJB) | Deputy CEO and Director of Finance & Corporate Services, NHSCFA |
| Tricia Morrison (TM) | Director of Performance & Improvement, NHSCFA |
| In Attendance | |
| Ann Sturgess (AS) | Head of Business Support, NHSCFA |
| Bethan Wassell (BW) | Corporate Affairs Manager and Board Secretary |
| Karen Bonham (KB) | Governance & Assurance Lead (for Minutes) |
| Sean Byrne (SB) | Deputy Director, AFU DHSC |
| Apologies | |
| Lisa Marshall (LM) | Board Apprentice, NHSCFA |
| Zafir Ali | Head of Internal Audit, GIAA |
| Agenda Item | Action |
|---|---|
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Agenda item no.1: Opening Business and Apologies for Absence BOA.25.69.01: The Chair welcomed Members and attendees to the meeting. Apologies were received from the Board Apprentice, and the Head of Internal Audit. In particular, the Chair welcomed AD and JH who had joined as new Non-Executive Director (NED) members of the Board during the year. BOA. 25.69.02: The Chair opened by confirming that the NHSCFA Annual Report and Accounts for 2024-2025 had been laid before Parliament of 17th July 2025. In line with the public duty of transparency and being open to public scrutiny, the NHSCFA had convened this Board meeting open to the public to attend. No requests to attend had been received, however the meeting would continue to follow the planned agenda and minutes would be published accordingly. |
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Agenda item no.2: Chair’s Reflections on 2024-2025 BOA. 25.70.01: The Chair provided an introduction to the Report, noting that the NHSCFA was a Special Health Authority accountable to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for the Prevention, Detection and Response to fraud and economic crime in the NHS. The Chair reflected on the year 2024-2025, during which the NHSCFA had detected and recouped losses to fraud totalling £1.968million, achieving over 76% towards the 3-year target of £500million recouped or detected. The Chair highlighted the Project Athena contribution of £28.2million with 1294 data escalations through that time. These results were a testament to the hard work and dedication of staff, which was on track to achieve the target set towards the end of the 2025-2026 financial year. |
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Agenda item no.2: Comments from Chief Executive Officer BOA.25.71.01: The CEO echoed the comments from the Chair and was also pleased to report a strong second year of the three-year Strategy. The NHSCFA had firmly established its capability in the use of data analytics to detect fraud whilst continuing to maintain the investigative caseload, with serious allegations resulting in criminal charges as the investigative teams continued to pursue justice despite court delays. BOA.25.71.02: Alongside this, the organisation had managed a variety of risks and challenges as the fraud landscape continued to change with the increased use of AI. The organisation had contributed to the NHS 10-Year Health Plan as well as other major infrastructure projects, continuing to support planning and development so that risks were demonstrably reduced across the sector. These achievements were all down to the dedication and hard work of teams, noting recent recognition with six NHSCFA finalists at the Public Sector Counter Fraud Awards. BOA.25.71.03: The CEO acknowledged and thanked the outgoing Chair Tom Taylor and acknowledged the contributions of Gaon Hart as interim Chair and two new Non-Executive Directors (JH) and (AD). BOA.25.71.11: The CEO concluded by stating that the NHSCFA valued its role as an impartial arm’s length body and counter fraud authority and was ready to respond to increased fraud risks from large-scale transformation. The CEO thanked all those strategic partnerships and the DHSC Sponsor team for their support. |
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Agenda item no.3: Questions BOA.25.72.01: The Chair confirmed there had been no questions received. BOA.25.72.02: The Deputy Director DHSC (SB) as Departmental Sponsor thanked the interim Chair for performing the role effectively. He looked forward to continuing to align the priorities between the NHSCFA and the NHS 10-Year Plan. |
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Agenda item no.4: Close BOA.25.73.01: The Chair thanked all for their dedication to driving forward an impressive year’s performance. Next meeting: 30th July 2025, 13:00hrs |