District nurses and NHS fraud

Two cases of fraud by district nurses demonstrate that district nurses need to be familiar with the behaviour that amounts to fraudulent activity, so they are able to protect NHS assets and take appropriate action to minimise the loss of funds needed for patient care and treatment. Fraud costs the NHS billions of pounds each year and takes money away from front-line services. The Fraud Act 2006 has made the offence clearer and easier to prosecute. Offences can range from false representation about qualifications and experience, to false timesheet claims and benefit fraud. In this article, Richard Griffith outlines what constitutes fraud and the measures taken by the NHS to counter fraudulent activity.