This year, Fraud Awareness Month (FAM) is taking place from November 9 to December 9, to coincide with the United 
Nations worldwide anti-corruption day and the European Fraud and Corruption Awareness campaign.
The campaign was developed by the NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) to persuade professionals that fraud exists and is a serious drain on resources.
FAM is an established NHS annual event, and over the past three years, counter fraud specialists have organised events at health bodies throughout the country, raising awareness among staff, professionals and the public.
This year, local counter fraud specialists (LCFS) will target areas within health bodies where fraud awareness is low, and will work to develop an anti-fraud culture. LCFSs will lead the campaign at a local level, conducting a range of activities to:
Raise the level of fraud awareness among NHS professionals
Inform NHS professionals on how to report suspected fraud
Illustrate the role that NHS professionals can play in preventing fraud.
The LCFSs will deliver presentations to NHS staff and professionals in their local trusts. They will distribute leaflets to staff and patients, post messages on local intranet sites and write articles for staff newsletters. A poster campaign will also be developed. Those who wish to attend seminars or require any publicity materials should contact their LCFS.
Counter fraud specialists have uncovered degrees of fraud in many areas of the NHS and optical fraud is no exception. Optical fraud takes several forms including:
Exemption claims submitted by practitioners
Claims for items not covered by prescription such as coloured/tinted contact lenses for cosmetic reasons
Claims for items of service not actually provided, such as claims for bogus patients, eye tests not undertaken or spectacles not provided.
Patient fraud figures published in August estimate optical fraud at £8.2m for 2005/06. However, this is actually a significant reduction from previous years, when optical fraud stood at £13.25m.
Where fraud is identified and proven, the NHS CFS will take tough action. The service has already achieved a great deal. Between 1999 and 2005 it has:
Provided a total financial benefit of £675m to the NHS – a 13:1 return on investment
Cut overall losses in patient fraud by 54 per cent from £171m a year to £78m
Delivered more than 1,400 fraud awareness presentations to NHS staff
Implemented counter fraud charter agreements covering 980,000 staff and professionals, encouraging them to work with the NHS CFS
Established a 96 per cent successful prosecution rate.
Last year, FAM reached a 13 million people, and this year it is expected to have an even bigger impact with the extra publicity generated by other international anti-fraud campaigns. The European Fraud and Corruption Awareness campaign is aiming to develop an anti-fraud and anti-corruption culture in healthcare systems across all European Union member states. Meanwhile, the UN worldwide anti-corruption day marks an international day to promote the need to counter corruption worldwide and calls upon governments to take action. In 2004, 110 countries signed up to the UN Convention against Corruption.
Most optical practitioners are honest, but there is a small minority who try to defraud the NHS. By working together to reduce fraud and corruption to an absolute minimum, and holding it there permanently, these resources can be used for better patient care. For LCFSs and the NHS CFS to protect resources, it is essential that practitioners report any suspicions.
If you suspect fraud, report it to your LCFS or call the NHS Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line in confidence on 08000 284 060.
All calls are dealt with by trained staff and professionally investigated. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm. Practitioners can also email us at nhsfraud@cfsms.nhs.uk
To find out more about FAM 2006 visit www.cfsms.nhs.uk or email us at cad@cfsms.nhs.uk