Fraud against the NHS is not a victimless crime. It diverts scarce resources from patient care, undermines confidence in public services, and weakens the integrity of the health care system we collectively rely upon. Every pound lost to fraud is a pound that cannot be invested in frontline services, staff, or innovation. Protecting those resources is therefore fundamental to ensuring that the NHS can deliver on its core purpose.
The NHS is undergoing significant transformation in how care is delivered, how services are commissioned, and how data and technology are used. These developments offer important opportunities to improve outcomes and efficiency, but they also increase the importance of ensuring that systems are designed with integrity, transparency and resilience from the start.
This strategy sets out how counter fraud will continue to mature as a core component of effective system design and governance. It reinforces the principle of ‘Counter Fraud by Design’, ensuring that fraud resilience is embedded within the structures, processes and decision-making frameworks of the health system. This approach strengthens the ability of leaders across the NHS to understand risk, act early, and maintain robust stewardship of public funds.
The NHSCFA has already established strong foundations as an expert, intelligence-led organisation. The next phase will build on that progress by making stronger use of data and technology, strengthening alignment with the wider NHS reform agenda, and supporting greater consistency and capability across the system.
Addressing fraud at this scale requires coordinated effort. Success will depend on collaboration across national bodies, local systems, regulators and the wider counter fraud community. It will also depend on maintaining a disciplined focus on outcomes, ensuring that activity leads to tangible reductions in fraud, improved resilience, and better protection of resources intended for patient care.
I am very pleased to be joining the NHS Counter Fraud Authority as Chair at the outset of this new strategy. I would like to recognise the leadership of the interim Chair and the executive team in developing a clear and ambitious direction for the next three years. This strategy provides a strong platform from which to build, reflecting both the progress already made and the scale of the challenge ahead. I would like to thank colleagues across the NHS, government and partner organisations for their continued commitment to this work. Their expertise and professionalism are critical to delivering on these ambitions.
This strategy sets out a clear and necessary path forward. By embedding fraud resilience more deeply across the NHS, we can better safeguard public resources and ensure they are used for their intended purpose: delivering high-quality care for patients, now and in the future.
Tom Hayhoe
Chair of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority