Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prosecutions there have been following an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority since that authority was established; and how many of those prosecutions have been for offences related to (a) fraud, (b) violence, (c) bribery, (d) corruption, (e) criminal damage, (f) theft, (g) market-fixing and (h) other unlawful action.

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) was established on 1 November 2017 and is a new special health authority with a remit to identify, investigate and prevent fraud, bribery and corruption across the National Health Service. The NHSCFA has successfully undertaken one prosecution of fraud against a non-medical, non-managerial NHS member of staff.

The NHSCFA does not undertake disciplinary proceedings against NHS staff, this is a matter for the employing NHS organisation. Where lawful, the NHSCFA may provide NHS organisations with material obtained during an investigation for this purpose. The NHSCFA has not undertaken any civil proceedings against NHS staff since it was established.

NHS Protect ceased to exist on the creation of the NHSCFA. Since 1 November 2017 the NHSCFA has assessed nine providers against elements of the NHSCFA Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Standards and has found that all required further action in order to fully comply with those Standards.

Since it was established the NHSCFA has restrained £31,109 and confiscated £38,913. The NHSCFA has not commenced any new investigations into directors of NHS trusts nationally or in Yorkshire since it was established.

Information on the main NHS payroll fraud categories the NHS Protect and NHS Counter Fraud Authority budget and the number of employed investigators is in the attached tables.