| Prescription charge fraud cut
(19 February 2004)
Prescription charge evasion by patients in England has fallen by 60 per cent over four years.
The NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) says that the loss
attributable to such fraud has fallen from £117m a year in 1998–99
to £47m in 2002–03. The reduction exceeds a 50 per cent target set
for the CFSMS in its public service agreement.
Bill Darling, chairman of the CFSMS said: “The strategic approach taken
to tackle fraud in the NHS has so far proved successful. These figures represent
a major step in reducing fraud in the NHS to an absolute minimum and a lot of
work is being carried out to reduce the remaining £47m.”
Reports by community pharmacists of suspected fraud have risen from 16 a month
when a £70 reward was introduced to 45 reports a month. Over the same period,
police arrests of suspected fraudsters have risen from five a month to 13 a month. |
