Patient fraud cut by more than 50 per cent
Checks on prescription charge exemptions have saved £70m |
Losses to the NHS due to patients making false claims for exemption from prescription, dental and optical charges have more than halved since steps to prevent evasion were introduced in 1998. The past eight years have seen annual losses cut from £170m to £76m.
In 1998, the NHS was losing £117m a year due to patients avoiding
prescription charges. This loss has now been cut to £47m a year.
Annual dental charge losses have been cut from £40.3m to £21.1m
and optical charge losses from £13.25m to £8.2m.
To the end of 2004–05, the total reduction in fraud amounts to
almost £675m — a 13:1 return on the NHS CFS budget.
Jim Gee, managing director of the NHS CFS, added: “These figures
show the impact that a comprehensive, professional approach can have.
… We have worked closely with doctors, pharmacists, dentists and
opticians to achieve these results and I would like to thank them for
their support.”
Royal Pharmaceutical Society President Hemant Patel said: “We would
like to acknowledge the hard work of pharmacists across the country in
achieving this reduction. We fully support the good work of the NHS
Counter Fraud Service in protecting valuable NHS resources, so that they are
put to good use in delivering high quality health care. We will continue
to work with the NHS CFS to further these gains.” |
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