What we do

Find out about how we tackle fraud, bribery, corruption and other economic crime affecting the NHS and the wider health group.

According to our latest estimate, the NHS is vulnerable to £1.198 billion worth of fraud each year.

As an intelligence-led organisation, the NHSCFA will use information from a wide range of sources to build a better understanding of the fraud risks faced by the NHS and develop creative, innovative and proportionate solutions to tackle fraud.

Our strategy 2020-2023

You can find more details about our approach to tackling NHS fraud and other economic crime in our 2020-2023 strategy.

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NHSCFA strategy 2020-2023

Objectives

The NHSCFA's strategic objectives for 2020-2023 are as follows:

  1. We will lead and influence the NHS to find, prevent, and reduce fraud, recovering losses and putting money back into patient care
  2. We will work with partners to reduce fraud loss in the NHS
  3. We will support and empower our people to be the best in their roles and feel valued
  4. We will effectively use our resources, identify and pursue opportunities for growth and innovation and reduce our operating costs

Our services

The NHSCFA is a centre of excellence employing specialists in intelligence, fraud prevention, computer forensics, fraud investigation, financial investigation, data analysis and communications. We provide a range of specialised services to tackle NHS fraud.

Intelligence

As an intelligence-led organisation, we use a wide range of information to build a more accurate picture of the fraud risks facing the NHS, to inform preventative action and to support investigations.

Investigations

We investigate the most serious, complex and high-profile cases of fraud, and work closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to bring offenders to justice. Our specialist financial investigators have powers to recover NHS money lost to fraud, and we have a forensic computing team who collect and analyse digital evidence.

Fraud prevention

We develop a range of targeted fraud prevention solutions to address identified fraud risks. This may include reviewing and redesigning whole systems or developing tailored guidance or other solutions.

Standards

We set standards for counter fraud work across the NHS. We assess commissioners and providers of NHS services for compliance with the standards through our quality assurance programme.

Staff and organisational development

Our staff are the NHSCFA's most important asset. We are committed to developing a skilled workforce, in line with the government's counter fraud professional standards. We carry out internal quality assurance, ensuring continued compliance with legislation and professional standards.

Communications

By raising awareness of fraud against the NHS and publicising the work of the NHSCFA, we encourage NHS staff, other stakeholders and the public to join the fight against NHS fraud.

Digitalisation and technology

We strive to be a digital by default organisation, using technology to make our work quicker, smarter and more data-driven.

Information analytics

We use complex algorithms and data mining tools as a means to identify both normal behaviour and outliers in NHS data, within which fraudulent behaviour can be found. The resulting analyses are used to support ongoing investigations as well as inform the intelligence picture and guide fraud prevention steps.