Fraud and corruption strike at the heart of what the NHS stands for. Every pound lost to fraud is a pound that cannot be spent on patient care: resources that should otherwise support nurses, doctors, support staff, and the continuous improvement of services for the communities we serve. As Interim Chair of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) I am unequivocal: safeguarding public funds by preventing, identifying, and recovering losses to fraud is not merely a technical or financial responsibility. It is a core obligation to ensure that every pound allocated by government is directed toward delivering the highest possible standard of healthcare and is not lost to criminal activity.
The NHS is entering a period of profound change as it delivers the ambitions of the 10-Year Health Plan. New care models, greater local decision-making and increased reliance on digital systems bring enormous opportunity but also a heightened risk of fraud, whilst existing counter fraud arrangements remain fragmented and inconsistent. This strategy recognises this reality. It sets out how counter fraud must evolve in parallel with the wider health system, ensuring that integrity, transparency and accountability are embedded as the NHS modernises.
The 2026-29 Health Service Counter Fraud Strategy1 focuses on designing and delivering a robust national counter fraud capability. Over the next decade, our objective is clear: to significantly reduce fraud and waste within the health system. This strategy is ultimately a wake-up call, setting a long-term ambition to ensure counter fraud is embedded in the everyday activity of the health sector. It is about protecting frontline services and the health sector from fraud. This strategy calls on those re-designing, commissioning and delivering NHS services to embed counter fraud practice and take confident, clear and appropriate action when fraud is detected. The strategy will develop and support health leaders to use information and strengthen assurance processes to understand fraud risk and act early. And it is about recognising the professionalism, expertise and commitment of the counter fraud community across the NHS, whose work protects resources and safeguards patient care every day.
This new strategy sets out how we will go further. It places technology and data-driven intelligence, including the use of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, at the heart of fraud detection and prevention. It strengthens coordination and support for local and regional counter fraud specialists working within the health sector, enabling them not only to respond to fraud but to help advance a counter fraud culture. It also reinforces our commitment to prevention through robust policies, systems, and controls, alongside an enhanced deterrent effect through effective investigation and prosecution.
This new strategy builds on the successes of the 2023-26 Counter Fraud Strategy and celebrates the £500m counter fraud savings achieved through the efforts of the NHSCFA and the health-wide counter fraud community. The NHSCFA leadership team and staff have developed and implemented strong foundations over the previous three-year strategy and are ideally prepared for an enhanced capability. The Authority has demonstrated the value of an independent, professional, and expert body dedicated to protecting the health sector. The NHSCFA Board fully supports this new strategy and will provide strong oversight of its delivery, ensuring a continued focus on reducing the impact of fraud, driving return on investment and driving continuous improvement within a constrained financial environment. Strong governance and transparent reporting will underpin this work, alongside continued efforts to promote a culture in which preventing fraud is everyone’s responsibility.
I would like to thank colleagues across the NHS, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), our partners in government, regulators and the wider counter fraud community for their continued collaboration and dedication. By working together, and by placing integrity at the centre of system design and decision-making, we can ensure that NHS resources are protected and directed where they matter most: towards high-quality care for patients, now and for the future.
Gaon Hart
Non-executive director (former Interim Chair)