Patient fraud costs NHS £110m in Scotland
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- Published: Thursday, 30 August 2012 15:02
- Written by News Editor
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Thousands of patients have been caught conning the NHS in Scotland and the number is rising every year. New figures revealed more than 15,000 cases where patients had claimed free treatment to which they were not entitled from NHS dentists and opticians. Counter Fraud Services (CFS) investigators recovered £538,000 from these patients, but there are fears the problem is much greater.
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Two health boards failed to reveal their figures and it is estimated NHS Scotland loses up to £110 million every year through frauds of all types, from erroneous claims for free treatment to staff deceptions.
Every year the counter fraud arm of the Scottish NHS double checks tens of thousands of patient claims for free dental and ophthalmic services. The data shows the number of people who received free treatment when they were not entitled to it has grown over the last three years.
In 2009-10, there were 4994 incidents detected and £152,000 recovered. In 2010-11, there were 5238 incidents detected and £175,000 recovered, and, in 2011-12 there were 5398 incidents detected and £211,000 recovered.
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